


En Pointe

by xoelectric



Category: Blake Shelton (Musician), Blake Shelton/Gwen Stefani - Fandom, Gwen Stefani - Fandom, Shefani
Genre: AU, Angst, Drama, F/M, Fluff, Romance, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:00:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 40
Words: 129,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23317996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xoelectric/pseuds/xoelectric
Summary: Baby loves to dance in the darkCause when he's looking, she falls apartNever let you fall apartTogether, we'll dance in the dark
Relationships: Blake Shelton/Gwen Stefani
Comments: 334
Kudos: 339





	1. West Bound

**Author's Note:**

> *dusts off the spiderwebs* 
> 
> I’ve been fighting the urge to write and post again, but I can’t help it. Especially in a world where you suddenly need an escape again, and things like this just come so easily, I figured this would happen sooner rather than later. However, the decision to post this was hard. I’m giving it a try again. 
> 
> Now that the serious stuff is out of the way, FUN FACT, I’ve had the outline of this story drafted since early 2018 (seriously). I realize it’s 2 years later, but the one person I ran this idea by back in the day was stoked about it, so I’m giving it a go. It’s super AU but with familiar elements. 
> 
> I might get inspired to update Mysterious Ways, as I do have more in mind for that story, we’ll see. Right now I’m not going to put pressure on myself one way or the other. 
> 
> Hope everyone is healthy and safe <3

__

_My dearest Blake,_

_I know you are probably quite shocked right now reading this letter. But yes, it’s true - it’s yours. I could tell you a million reasons why I decided to hand you the keys to my life’s work, but I think it would be futile. I trust that in time you will come to understand what I have known all along, and I trust that it will end up making sense._

_You’re an amazing young man, Blake. I think you work a bit too much, and you’ve just been unlucky in love, but you can’t lose faith in love. Don’t lose sight of what’s most important in life. You have made me proud every single day of my life, and I trust in God that I will have the privilege to continue to watch your successes from afar._

_And Blake, one more thing - take care of her, please._

_All my love,_

_GM_

__

The letter was short, _cryptic_ , even, and yet despite being unable to extract tangible meaning, all he could do was read it over and over again. In a way, he felt isolated in this new reality. Though the passing of his grandmother surely had an effect on his family as a whole, he felt it a bit more. It had to be the truth, as he could count on one hand how many times her other grandchildren would bother to travel that far to see her, as sad of a reality as it was. 

Blake’s connection with her was different, it always had been. It had come as no shock to him that he would execute the will. But this….this was definitely one curveball he did not see coming. 

“Mr. Shelton?” an older, male voice broke through his thoughts suddenly. Blake nearly forgot where he was. He looked up and across the table dividing him from Mr. Fleming, the lawyer. 

“Hmm?” 

“Did you have any questions about the documents?”

 _None that you could answer_ , he mused to himself. But he knew it was worth a shot to try anyways.

“Why….” He began, running his hand through his locks, glancing down at the letter. “How was this given to me? Of all people?”

Mr. Fleming seemed sympathetic, but maintained a neutral gaze. “I apologize, but that letter is the only information I was given,” he began. “But the documents are clear, if that is what you’re worried about?”

“No, I’m not worried about the documents,” he replied quietly, as it was obvious he was still trying to get his mind around it all. Another moment of silence passed, before he spoke again. “So does this mean…do I have to, I mean…” his arms crossed as he sat back in his chair, perplexed. “Do I need to go to California and figure this out?”

“That’s up to you,” Mr. Fleming replied gently. “The master keys are in that small box,” he gestured to the object on the table. Blake reached forward and held the small box in his palm, a small, remembering smile resting gently on his features. 

“This was her candy box,” Blake said softly, mostly to himself. “She wouldn’t keep a jar on her desk, for fear she’d eat them all up.” He carefully opened the lid, glancing at the set of three keys and the three pieces of caramel candies still there. Careful not to lose his train of thought again, he closed the box suddenly and put it back down on the table.

Mr. Fleming watched Blake carefully. “Listen,” he said a few moments later. “You’re in a great position, more so than others I’ve had to advise in these kinds of situations.” He gestured up to the room they were in. “Mr. Shelton, you’re already successful in business. Just think of it like that - I don’t think this should be much different.”

Blake took the cue easily, as his eyes scanned the walls of his office. They were completely covered in various Smithworks Vodka related items - a huge neon logo sign, hats, die cast cars, flags, you name it - if a vodka logo could go on it, it existed. It represented _his_ life’s work, or well, at least the part of his life that he still allowed to define him. That was an important distinguisher. 

He suddenly felt a bit guilty in taking so much of this lawyer’s time - surely, Mr. Fleming did have other things to do than sit in Blake’s office with him as he tried to make sense of it all. As if losing a family member wasn’t already difficult enough, decisions revealed after they pass could somehow even end up being more uncertain to trust. “I appreciate you coming out to Nashville,” Blake said with a nod, as he stood up from his chair. Mr. Fleming followed suit, both men extending their hands for a firm shake. 

“Not a problem, not at all. Marianne was a valued client of mine, and I assured her that I would see to it to handle this matter personally on her behalf,” he responded. “Should you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly.”

Blake foresaw a lot of questions he would have, but certainly none that Mr. Fleming would be able to help him with. 

“Thank you again for your time. Safe travels back to L.A. tomorrow.”

He nodded, turned towards the door and made his exit, leaving Blake alone with his thoughts. 

All he could focus on was the subtle ticking of the clock in the background, as it dawned on him that Mr. Fleming was not the only one that would be traveling to L.A. this week. 

**36 hours later…**

LAX was a funny airport to him. Depending on where his mind was at, or what sights he caught a glimpse of as soon as he descended from the gate, it could be a variety of years in an instant. Sometimes it felt like it was ten, fifteen years ago and he was coming out to visit Marianne. Other times, it felt like it was a measly two or three years ago and he was juggling three residences in three states and a musical career to boot. Sometimes he saw _her_ standing against that wall in baggage claim, no doubt on her cell phone, no doubt only half-heartedly happy to see him as she focused on her own career. This insanely familiar place all of a sudden had a new vibe to it, one he couldn’t put his finger on. 

It was only a few moments of lingering before baggage claim kicked in - this was definitely a new vibe, LAX had never been that sufficient before. He didn’t mind the change of pace as he wanted to retrieve his bag and get on his way, knowing full well the long day ahead of him soon. 

His attention was lost in his thoughts as he mindlessly worked through the taxi line, ringing off Marianne’s address in Anaheim and settling back in for the traffic-filled ride. Time really was moving fast, as he twirled the keys absentmindedly and before he knew it, he was settled up with the driver and standing at her door. 

Blake hesitated. He took a quick breath in, staring at the wood for a few moments before inserting the key in the lock. The sun had began to set, and it was an eerily quiet street - just as he remembered it. The familiar scent of potpourri hit his senses immediately - some things never changed. 

He flicked the hall light on and gently dropped his bag onto the ground, allowing the front door to close behind him. His eyes fell upon the car keys hanging on the wall, this odd sense of de ja vu coming over him. It was weird enough he was here alone, but the idea of being there - staying in her home, knowing he was using her car tomorrow - kind of freaked him out just a tad more. 

His eyes moved across the wall, it being covered with all sorts of pictures. Family he recognized, family he didn’t, and so many pictures of Marianne’s life in California. She had so many friends, and such a full life. 

One picture in particular struck him - perhaps because it seemed almost out of place with the rest at first, and he had to think harder about it. A young girl - blonde - a bit older than he remembered her, but the features were undeniable. Pink tights, black leotard, ballet shoes, left hand delicately placed on the ballet barre. Hair secured in a high bun, and a huge smile - she seemed to be laughing when the picture was taken, even - pure joy plastered across her face. She was on her tippy toes - _Blake cringed knowing Marianne would slap his arm playfully for forgetting what was was called_ \- her right leg extended straight and high. And there was Marianne in front of her, about a head shorter than the girl, with the biggest grin on her face as her left hand was also on the barre with right leg extended, but at an even more drastic angle.

All he could do was stare. He didn’t know the context of the picture, it was just a happy moment frozen in time. 

He hadn’t thought about her in years, and yet he was suddenly faced with the reality - there was a very strong chance he was going to find himself soon to be face to face with Gwen Stefani the next day.


	2. Behind The Curve

_”Why’d you name a dance studio Abbotsleigh anyway?” Blake had asked. “Sounds fancy n’all, but how are people supposed to know what it is?”_

_Marianne had chuckled at her grandson’s sudden curiosity, joining him in glancing up at the large sign affixed to the side of the building. In an ornate, but legible script, the name appeared bold and could be seen for miles away._

_“Anaheim Ballet Company was taken, dear, and frankly boring” she joked, and shook her head. “Besides, all of the best schools and companies don’t have to announce what they are. Juilliard, Parsons, Pratt, RISD… if you’re going to be the best, why not name in line with the best?” Marianne paused. “Alright, RISD isn’t the best example, but it’s not like anyone with an artistic bone in their body runs around calling it Rhode Island School of Design….”_

_Blake had just chuckled. “And here you thought I was able to understand any of that.”_

_Marianne pondered for a minute. “That country music of yours that you’re always listening to…” she began, trying to wrack her brain for an example. “Who’s that famous red head? The fiesty one?”_

_It only took him a few moments to produce the answer she was looking for. “Reba?”_

_“Exactly my point!” she exclaimed. “Reba has a last name, I’m sure, but she’s so good she doesn’t need one for you to know exactly who I’m talking about.” Marianne’s gaze went back up to the large sign on the side of the building. “That’s Abbotsleigh, dear. We need no further announcement.”_

__

\---------------------------

Staring up at the same sign affixed to the side of the large, glass building was a haunted memory in and of itself. Abbotsleigh was Marianne’s entire life, and she had taken such specific care of the place even down to agonizing and rationalizing the name for hours on end before she even opened. Blake even blamed Marianne at one point because it had taken him so damn long to name his own company, he wouldn’t move forward without her approval which was hard to come by. He just remembered being so frustrated every time he thought he had it, and knowing what a huge emphasis Marianne placed on naming things, it crushed and annoyed him every time she had been less than thrilled with one of his names.

Then again, he was probably more grateful than anything else. He chuckled to himself, suddenly realizing that without Marianne, he very well could have ended up the owner of _Bait ’n Tackle Vodka_. It definitely hadn’t been the worst name he came up with, he didn’t mind it really, but Smithworks just seemed to work better. And that was his grandmother - she always found the better option for everything.

_Take care of her, please._

The echo from the letter he had poured over all week came back as soon as he moved towards the entrance, just as he had so many times before. He was confident that Marianne must have meant the company - she had a tendency to talk about the company as if it were a person, after all. 

A brief walk down the hall, and he insert the second key into her office door. It swung open, revealing a largely untouched office on the other side. 

It was clean, proper even, immaculately curated for the art snob she was. Glass desk, curated ballet art on the walls, various awards and educational credentials aligning the walls. It was all very neat, measured out precisely to the millimeter for perfect and even spacing. He walked around the familiar freestanding bronze statue in the middle of the office, one of the famous stills from _Romeo and Juliet_ , he had been reminded so many times. One thing that immediately popped up as being out of place was the two foot high stack of disheveled paperwork sitting on the chair. 

He hooked his hands under the bottom of the stack, lifting the paperwork onto the desk. With only a faint idea of what he was doing, he began to go through the unopened mail and various documents, one by one. 

Blake soon realized his background in running a business was only helping him perhaps a mere five to ten percent as he tried to make sense of what he was reading through. He began making piles - the first he deemed “financial looking things”, the second he called “looks important, and the third he deemed “don’t know what the fuck that is”. He kept at it, soon realizing when he was through about a fourth of the stack, most was ending up in the latter. 

“Oh, thank goodness you’re here!” a heavily accented male voice interrupted his very important mail sorting session. Blake’s attention drew up, unable to place it, unable to place him. “Hi, welcome, I’m so sorry I didn’t bring a proper welcoming committee and I’m terribly short on time, but I’ve been waiting for you. I assume you’re Blake, yes? Brett Thompson, I’m in charge of some of the most thought provoking modern ballet choreographies for the esteemed Abbotsleigh.” Brett paused for dramatic effect, a hand placed melodramatically on his chest amidst his quick dialect, taking a breath in as if this was such a noble deed. 

If Blake had been better acquainted to this new reality, he probably would have had to work hard to stifle a laugh. He wasn’t even able to get a word out before Brett decided to continue. 

“Listen, I’m in the middle of an incredible breakthrough with one of my dances, and I’ve had this dire paperwork I’ve needed signed to move forward. I mean, if it’s not signed today, I just don’t know what would happen. We’re on track to premiere in winter season but it could all go to hell in a hand basket because I haven’t been able to submit this…” he let out a breath. It was apparent that Brett had trouble remembering when he needed to breathe. “I know you’re SUPER busy, and none of this is going to make any sense, but Marianne was going to sign this just one day before…” 

Blake’s eyebrow raised at the same time Brett realized that might have been just slightly insensitive. He bit his lip. “Apologies,” Brett continued. “I just…” his eyes glanced around Marianne’s office, and he took two quick strides over to the nearby table. “See! This is what I’m talking about, this is my dance!” Brett uncovered a stack of large promotional posters and held one up, as if that was somehow going to prove his point further.

Blake exhaled, finally able to speak for the first time. “Okay, so uh, you need me to do what, exactly?” Brett almost lunged forwarded with his small stack of paperwork. 

“Just a signature, sir,” he said cheerfully. 

“What am I even signing — “

“You see, Marianne’s already reviewed it, her handwriting, it’s right there,” Brett pressed a bit more. “All this does is allow the funding to be allocated correctly. It’s all of these complicated operating rule requirements with how we get our funding. I mean, I can totally explain how all of this works later, I just am in a time crunch right now and really need to get this processing.”

Damn, this dude was persistent. 

“I don’t mean to be dramatic, but the entire fate of the show depends on getting this submitted today…” Brett pressed one more time.

Blake took the paperwork out of his hands, and started to thumb through it. Once again, his own expertise of running a business was very minimally helpful to him. This was not contract language he was familiar with. A few moments of silence fell between them, and Blake glanced up. 

“So the company already has the funding in place, and you’re saying it just needs to be allocated?” He questioned. 

“Yes, spot on,” Brett nodded. 

Blake looked through the wording once more. “What do you do here, exactly?” he asked, continuing to glance through the document.

“I’m the Artistic Director of our Modern Ballet division,” Brett answered simply, not trying to engage in too much additional conversation. “All of the directors around here are responsible for their own paperwork and getting it allocated and signed, like this one.” 

It looked like Brett was wading in impatient agony, and this only began lifting slightly as Blake lifted the pen in his hand to sign.

“And you’re assuring me this is a standard document, correct?”

“Yes, absolutely,” Brett nodded again. 

Blake wasn’t going to figure this one out any time soon, and the man was really starting to get on his nerves. He didn’t have time for this, he had so many other things to figure out. What he understood of the contract didn’t seem like a crazy request, and a moment later he put pen to paper, signing and dating.

“Excellent, thank you, the show is saved!” Brett exclaimed. “I’d love to stick around and celebrate, but I really must go, thank you, thank you again,” he said quickly, before scurrying out.

Blake remembered that most of these ballet people were oddballs, but he had to admit, Brett took the cake. 

————

The rest of the morning, otherwise, was pretty quiet. There were a few people that dropped by - some that Blake knew from the past, but most that were new faces - and none of the requests were as pushy as that first one. Around noon, Blake slipped out and picked up a sandwich at the local owned Italian sub shop he remembered right across the street, preparing himself for a similarly quiet afternoon. 

Even when he was done with the paperwork part and digging through that crazy big office of hers, he was still completely clueless on what he would even do next. 

He felt weird eating on such a fancy glass table, but unwrapped the sandwich anyway. His country roots had him feeling like a kid that was about to make a mess at a fancy dinner party, so he laid out a few extra napkins as he tried to be much more careful than he would have otherwise. Blake was only two bites in before the office door was thrown open abruptly, startling him back to the present. 

“You’ve got a lot of damn nerve!” an angry female voice came across the office, just before she slammed the office door shut. Blake peered around the Romeo and Juliet statue in the middle of the room - _Jesus, why do these artsy types put things in the most inconvenient places…_ , just in time to see the blonde that was coming at him. 

That wasn’t just any blonde. It was Gwen. 

“You’ve been here for one. Single. Goddamn _half_ of a day, and you’re already driving Marianne’s entire legacy into the dirt!”

Gwen was standing in front of the large glass desk now, which felt overly large as it now divided them, or in his case, might have been temporarily protecting him. Blake’s sandwich was set down quickly on the table as he stood up, at a loss for words and not understanding what was going on. 

Their eyes locked - and Blake couldn’t even begin to describe that weird feeling in the pit of his stomach. Blake surely looked perplexed, but Gwen’s eyes seemed to be changing course a mile a minute. It was anger, then it was frustration, then it was recognition - then it was confusion over how that recognition, recognizing Blake, seemed to catch her off guard. Unluckily for him, though, it was soon back to anger. 

“I…I…,” Blake stuttered. “I haven’t done anything! I mean, not much, really,” he let out a breath. “Someone came in and needed my signature to order the toe shoes, the principal dancers needed toe shoes, don’t they go through a ton of those? And then, someone asked me to confirm a construction bid to replace the mirrors in the of the studios to get started….and, I’ve been digging through all of the paperwork and I’m trying to make sense of it, but I swear, I didn’t do anything?” He wasn’t convinced he hadn’t already made a mistake, but by the way Gwen was looking at him, he felt there could be the possibility he bankrupted the company. 

“Toe shoes,” Gwen sputtered out, the only response she had in that moment. His lack of knowledge should not have surprised her, but it did take her off guard. “I have no idea how you think ballet dancers are going to dance on toe shoes.”

“Those,” Blake responded, gesturing down to Gwen’s feet. “Those are what I ordered, I swear. Pink. Satin lace. BLOCH was the brand, I think, the order just needed a signature, it looked like the past three.”

Gwen seemed to lose interest suddenly in correcting him on the terminology of _pointe_ shoes, but she held onto that one for later. “I don’t care what you ordered, Blake, what I care about is that you just completely defunded the entire after school program for lower income families, effective immediately!”

“I didn’t do that!” He exclaimed immediately. 

“Those kids are going to be here literally in TWO hours, Blake, what am I supposed to do?”

“Gwen, I swear on my life, I haven’t done anything like that today, I didn’t even know…”

“Then are you telling me this isn’t your signature??” She shoved a slightly crumpled contract out towards him, probably the result of her gripping it tight as she expressed these frustrations. Blake took the contract and looked through it, his eyes widening a bit.

“Gwen no, no,” he started. “This is just the paperwork for the winter production.” Blake spoke as if he knew exactly what that even meant. “Marianne was going to approve it, it was one of the directors…he said if he didn’t get this on file today, the whole season was in jeopardy?”

“Page 7, second paragraph,” Gwen said dryly. 

Blake rustled back a few pages. 

“Who the hell signs a contract and doesn’t even read it,” Gwen muttered, arms now crossed as she waited expectantly for him to catch up. 

“I…” Blake began. “I don’t know what this means,” he admitted. “It seemed fine, it’s talking about reallocating and assigning funds.” Oh. 

“It means that you just wiped out the entire program that she spent years building and advocating for,” Gwen explained. “Why would Marianne _ever_ agree to sign that?

The totality of the situation dawned on him. 

“Gwen, I swear to god, I’ll fix this,” he offered with an apologetic shrug, obviously feeling terrible about what he had done. 

The effect his sudden change of demeanor had on her seemed to take her voice and tone down in an instant. It was still prickly, but a lot of the anger was diffused. “As you should. Because I’m teaching this afternoon whether you like it or not.”

And before he could get a word out to agree, she turned on her heel and was headed towards the door. 

“By the way, you’d better check on that order you put in that you actually ordered _pointe_ shoes, your principal dancers are going to be pretty shitty without them.”

And with that, the door was closed, and he was once again left alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel so incredibly loved and thank you to everyone that has reached out both here and on twitter <3 It's been a huge ray of sunshine in this really weird time and hope that I do not disappoint with this one!


	3. What She Did For Me

Gwen had a miraculous ability to get lost in dance. Whether it was one of her own principal classes, or if she was choreographing the academy, or even if she felt like she spent an hour chasing around little ones just trying to get them to stay still for one minute to position their feet in first. Thursday afternoons were definitely filled with the latter, but she wouldn’t have changed it for the world. 

“Alright everyone, please make sure to thank Miss Amanda and Mister James for coming in to help us with class today, come on over and get lined up at the door!” Gwen exclaimed. Soon, the room broke out in a sea of children shouting their thank yous, and Gwen moved to perch on the chair right next to the door. 

The line of children moved slowly, as everyone seemed to want to talk to Gwen. She had a big sheet of animal stickers in her hand and let each child carefully pick out which one they wanted. Many gave her a hug, and she laughed with them as she made sure each one walked out with a paper lunch bag with their name on it. 

As a contrast to the happy children, a small girl - couldn’t have been more than six years old - approached, visibly upset.

“Daisy, what’s the matter sweetheart?”

“Miss Gwen, Miss Gwen, my shoe’s all broken, I won’t be able to come back,” she explained, holding back tears.

“What?! Nooooo, come here, stand to the side and we’ll fix it,” Gwen gently guided the girl out of the line and to her side so that she could finish saying goodbye to the class. Daisy rested her little chin on Gwen’s shoulder and stayed quiet as Gwen continued to hand out stickers, hugs, high fives, and paper bags. It was a sea of chaos that she reveled in. 

“Ok, come on, let me see,” Gwen said, lowering herself to sit on the studio floor to be down closer to Daisy’s level. The young girl shyly handed Gwen a pair of beat up, black canvas ballet shoes. Gwen looked over them for a minute before offering a smile. 

“Oh Daisy, you should have brought me something difficult to fix!” she exclaimed. “I’ve fixed a lot worse in my day, this one is easy.” Gwen turned to reach behind her, knowing she kept her sewing box nearby. She gently opened the lid. “All we need to do is sew an elastic back on, first.”

The little girl seemed to perk up as Gwen retrieved thread and needle. “Can you put it on for me? I need to measure it.” Daisy obliged, placing her hands on Gwen’s shoulders to step into the ballet shoe. Gwen noticed the front canvas was worn out, too. She stretched the elastic across the girl’s foot and took note where it ended. 

“Got it. That was the easy part, are you ready for the really hard part?” She asked, the girl’s attention perking up. Gwen pat the ground next to her, and reached into her box, producing a stack of fabric squares. “Now the really hard part is telling me which pretty fabric you want me to use to fix the sides up. Can you do that?”

Daisy’s eyes were wide and a quiet “whoa” escaped as she laid out all of the fabric squares in front of her to look through them. Seeing she was occupied for a few moments, she reached into the box and pulled out a set of brand new black elastics. She gently used a seam ripper and a pair of scissors to remove the old elastic, measuring each of them out. The work didn’t bother her, not one bit, but she felt saddened as she handled the little girl’s shoes and couldn’t just go out and buy new ones for her. And she knew that her family wouldn’t be able to afford it, either. 

She slid a pair of reading glasses on right before threading the needle.

“Miss Gwen, you have glasses?” Daisy questioned, still sorting through the fabrics in front of her. 

“Old people like me need them to sew,” she chuckled halfheartedly. She sewed and secured the first of 4 elastics, making sure to double check the measurements once more. “I’m going to take these home to finish fixing with my sewing machine, ok? I promise I’ll have them ready for you at the start of the next class. Did you pick out the fabric?” 

Daisy held one up - a red and white polka dot pattern. 

“Ohh, that reminds me of Minnie Mouse,” Gwen said. “Good choice!”

“She’s my favorite,” Daisy nodded.

“Mine too.”

Daisy hopped up, picking her small bag up off the floor. Gwen reached over to the small pile of paper lunch bags she had left. “Don’t forget this,” Gwen said. “Macy wasn’t here today, how about you take two so you can bring one home to your little brother.”

Daisy put her arms around Gwen’s neck to give her a hug. “Thank you, Miss Gwen.”

The little girl left the studio, leaving Gwen alone and in silence. Her eyes fixated on the little ballet shoes in her lap, now her newest project. It wasn’t the first time she’s had to make miracles happen to make ballet shoes last just a bit longer than their expiration date, but she did have a night ahead of her. 

“You’re really good with children. They adore you.”

Gwen’s body jolted, startled, and her head snapped around to look up, seeing Blake hovering in the doorway.

She always had hated these double entrance studios. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” he spoke. Gwen turned her head away, her heart rate returning slightly to normal, and pushed up from the ground into a standing position.

“S’okay,” she responded, taking four or five steps in the opposite direction. She walked up to the stereo and ejected the CD. 

“What are the paper bags?” Blake asked, seeing that there was still one more left near the second door. 

“Most of those kids go home to empty kitchens,” she explained. “I can’t afford to send them home with steak dinners, but at least it’s something. Today’s menu consisted of PB+J sandwiches, chips, and a Capri Sun.”

“You pay for it yourself?”

Gwen looked up to the mirror to look at him behind her. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“No, not at all, I just…I thought that would be something grandm—“ he cut himself off, “ — Marianne, I thought that would be something Marianne would want to support. Sounds like something she would want the company to pay for.”

“You don’t understand how ballet companies are funded, do you?” Her tone was neutral, a stark difference from their first encounter earlier in the day. 

“I can’t say that I’ve ever had to fund one, no,” Blake agreed. He paused, as a moment of silence hung between them. “I fixed it, by the way. The funding issue. I was coming to tell you. I met our Controller, Sasha, I found her a few doors down from me. I explained what happened and she was able to fix it.”

The realization plastered over her features, changing her demeanor in an instant. Her attention perked up, and though she wasn’t smiling, her features implied it. She stayed with her back towards him, but at least she was still looking at him through the mirror. 

“So uhh, yeah, that’s all I wanted to say,” Blake nodded. “I’ll let you get back. See you around, Gwen.”

“Wait,” it came out just as Blake began to turn to leave. His gaze turned back, the two of them locking gazes through the mirror. Gwen broke the gaze to physically turn to face him for the first time. She closed the distance between them, stopping about a foot away. Their height difference was apparent, as she was looking straight ahead and directly into his chest. 

“Thank you,” she said, a bit quieter. This wasn’t the strong, defiant Gwen that had stormed his office only a few hours prior. Though her face was mostly still, there seemed to be a lot going on under the surface. Her features were apologetic, but she seemed to have trouble finding what to say. 

It was risky, but he spoke a few minutes later. “I miss her, too.”

As if it would serve as some sort of protection against emotions, Gwen took a small step back as she bit her lip and turned to start collecting her things. “I don’t know why my allergies have been acting up, sorry,” she lied, as she felt the grief threatening to show. Her eyes watered a bit, she willed them to stop as she tried to focus on collecting her things. 

“Ironically, when I got off the plane, it’s the cleanest air I’ve had in a while,” Blake bought into the lie, knowing full well that it was exactly that. 

“That’s sad,” Gwen replied. 

“Sure, there’s city air pollution here, but you haven’t lived through allergy season until you come out and your red truck is suddenly orange.”

It took Gwen a minute to put that statement together, but she ended up looking back over to him inquisitively. 

“It’s a southern thing, the pollen gets so bad, it’ll cover your truck in a layer of it.”

“Red and yellow make orange,” she connected the dots. Normally she wasn’t this dense, but he was distracting her normal intelligence. 

Blake felt kind of lame over his comment, shrugged a little and offered a smile. It was such a weird ambiance between them - it always had been. In some ways they grew up right next to each other and had known each other their entire lives - Blake, the only grandchild that would visit, and Gwen, who Marianne had practically adopted since her ballet shoes trotted into her studio at four years old. They didn’t need introductions, but in some ways, maybe they did. 

“Are you going to be able to fix em?” Blake asked next, changing the subject. “The little girl’s shoes?”

Gwen batted a tear off the corner of her eye before it threatened to fall. “It’s not going to be easy,” she replied. “But they don’t need to last her too much longer. Kids grow out of shoes fast. I go digging in the lost and found here at the end of the month, and have a lot of connections that donate shoes to me when their kids grow out of them. I clean and fix them up, keeps me busy. It kills me a little, because I don’t think I have a pair of the next size up for her yet. But I won’t give up looking. I can’t.”

“And you do it for all of them,” he said, in slight awe of how much of herself she gave. It wasn’t a question, he didn’t need to ask it - because it was obvious. 

Her voice was nearly a whisper. “It’s what Marianne did for me.”

He suddenly had so many questions, realized so many things he probably didn’t know about Gwen. But he had to tread carefully. The silence was maddening, only interrupted as a new voice came through the door and he missed his chance altogether to go any further on that. 

“Gwen,” the female voice interjected with a hurried feel. She recognized the woman immediately as Lacey, one of the company members. Lacey looked between Gwen and Blake, not realizing Gwen wasn’t alone. “Oh,” she said, hesitating to continue, but doing so anyways. 

“He’s here,” the woman breathed. “He’s at the front waiting for you.”


	4. Crash

_He’s here._

The words rang through Gwen’s head as she gently brushed past Lacey, seemingly forgetting the entire conversation she had just been in the middle of with Blake. Blake furrowed his brow as the other woman nodded at him and took off in the other direction. He exited the studio, intent on going back to Marianne’s office.

He just couldn’t help it that Marianne’s office was in the same direction as Gwen had sprinted off to. Sure, his curiosity was enormous in wanting to know what got her to jog so fast down the carpeted halls, but he didn’t want to intrude. 

Gwen turned the corner, at least with two dozen long strides on Blake, and approached the front reception area.

Being informed that her ex was in the building in and of itself was not something to go running after, but she had ulterior motives. 

She approached Gavin expectantly, her eyes scanning around the lobby. “Where’s King?” she asked, unable to hide the slight worry in her voice. 

“Hello to you too, love.”

“Gavin, where is he?” She felt like she already knew the answer, but she was praying to god that it wasn’t true. 

“Gwen, I’m not going to pull him out of school and drag him across the pond every time you want to see him.”

“You’ve got to be kidding!” She exclaimed. Her hand rested on her forehead as she tried to control the anger bubbling up inside. None of this was surprising, but it didn’t mean it hurt any less. Painfully aware they were moments from creating a scene, Gwen grabbed his shirt sleeve and began to force him along. “My office,” she said through gritted teeth. 

Gavin rolled his eyes but obliged, following her down the hall. She all but shoved him into her office, and shut the door behind him. 

“Why do you keep doing this to me?” Gwen asked, exasperated. “I…I can’t believe you came all the way here, and you left our son back in England? That’s low, even for _you_.”

“Christ, it’s not like it’s a part of the court order or something, you’re making me out to be a monster.”

“I don’t see how you’re not!”

“He has school, Gwen, what exactly do you want me to do? I thought his education was important to you, so I’m getting mixed signals here.”

“Gavin, I haven’t seen him in five months. Do you even know what that’s like?”

“Afraid not. I won custody, remember?”

If she wasn’t so angry, she could have broken down instantly at that reminder. 

“Bribed,” she corrected. “Lied. Don’t start that shit with me now.”

“This has nothing to do with King, don’t you remember?” Gavin responded, steering the subject. 

“I don’t care,” she shook her head. “I know why you’re here. I’m painfully aware of why you’re here. Because you’re a dick, and the company can’t afford to buy out the remainder of your contract even though you’ve been asked to leave willingly but you get off on wasting everyone’s time just to torture us.”

Gavin let out a low chuckle. “If that’s what you have to tell yourself at night, you go right ahead.”

“You don’t think I know you charged a first class plane ticket on your expense account?”

“I don’t need your company credit cards to afford first class,” he rolled his eyes. 

“But you’re still cheap enough that you did it,” Gwen muttered, holding strong on that position. And she was right.

He plastered a grin across his face. “So, when’s our first rehearsal, darling? I hope you’re not still dropping your hip on those triple fouetté’s.”

“Says the man that can’t even catch the minimum height we require at the audition level in _any_ of his jumps.”

“You know I have a tendon injury,” he dismissed, though he seemed angry that she’d even mention it under the surface. 

“Oh find a dancer that’s never had an injury,” she rolled her eyes, dismissing him immediately. 

Gavin took a seat in the overstuffed chair in the corner of her office, kicking back as if he was planning on staying a while. 

“Why does this always happen?” She asked a few moments later, her voice quieter. “Why do we waste so much energy tearing into each other like this? It’s not good for anyone. It’s not good for King.”

“King is doing just fine,” he conceded. “Top of his class. Star of the football team. He’ll have his pick of colleges keeping on this path.”

Gwen almost had to shake her body in disbelief. The last thing she wanted or needed was to think of her eleven year old son going to college. 

“I’m not talking about his career path. I’m talking about his mental health.”

“And what exactly are your qualifications in mental health?”

Gwen exhaled, gritting her teeth. “Get out of my office. I’m serious, it’s time for you to leave.”

“But you haven’t even told me our rehearsal schedule yet,” he chimed in. 

“Does King even know where you are?” Gwen abruptly changed the subject, and for once, Gavin stayed quiet. “Wow, I guess you lied about that too. Tell me, where does King think you are right now?”

“A Spring training seminar with the Royal Ballet,” he finally answered. “In Australia.”

She was right. Gavin didn’t even tell him where he was going. 

“He was thrilled to stay with my parents, he enjoys spending time with them. It doesn’t matter where he thinks I am.”

“It’s almost as if you don’t want him to know you’re here, because you know deep down that he would have wanted to come along.”

“He doesn’t talk about you, Gwen,” he said with a shrug. Those words stung somewhere deep in the pit of her stomach, more so than anything else, and she just had to keep reminding herself that this is what Gavin did - he was a master liar and manipulator. “Any time I have to send him to you, I feel awful. I mean, he has my entire estate and family in England. And what does he have here? A single mom in a one bedroom apartment, past her dancing prime?”

To say that she was having a rough day was an understatement. 

It took all of her strength to hold her composure. 

“Fine, if you’re not going to leave, I will. I don’t care that it’s my office,” she said, turning on her heel and leaving just before the first tear fell down her cheek. 

“What about the rehearsal schedule?” He asked, annoyed. 

“You’ve been a plague in this company long enough that I trust you remember exactly where to find it.” And with that, she abruptly slammed the door behind her. 

—————

She took a breath, raised her gaze up to look at herself in the mirror in front of her in the dim, deserted studio. Body positioned in fourth, she pushed up into the same combination she had attempted many times since she noticed the sun was going down. She felt a strain in her calf and let herself stop early, sighing as she reached down to roughly massage the pain away. 

Hands on top of her head, she paced in a medium sized circle around the floor, before coming back center. She came here with a specific reason to practice her triples, knowing she would have to do them in front of _him_ the next day. She let herself do a single, then another, then a double, then stopped. Finally, after a hesitation, she pushed herself up into a triple, nearly perfect, but felt herself lose the power near the end. It only fueled her more, knowing she needed to drill them until she was sure. 

And drill them, she did. She didn’t stop. When she needed a break from the triples, she would do a series of singles. It was all well and good getting her mind off of the day until she felt the world get pulled out from under her, one of her feet succumbing to the pressure as she landed on the hard, studio floor with a loud crash that probably sounded a lot worse than it was. Knowing it was too late for anyone else to be in the studio, it didn’t bother her that much of how loud her cry in agony echoed against the walls. 

Immediately she unlaced the dastardly shoe and pulled it off, realizing the shank had softened and collapsed on her. She might have caught that weakening down earlier if she had paid better attention. Her hand grabbed roughly and squeezed the middle of her foot, her eyes shutting tight from the pain. 

“Holy shit, are you ok? Do you need an ambulance?” The voice startled her as her head whipped around and she saw Blake rushing into the room. 

She cringed a bit and gripped tighter, wanting to ask him why he was still there, but understandably distracted. 

“No, it’s not that serious,” she shook her head, managing a response confidently. 

“You look like you’re in pain,” he offered gently. “You’re also crying.”

“Well you know what, I might have a lot of different things to cry about right now that are completely unrelated to my shoes and my body rebelling against me,” she offered, swiping at the tears on her cheeks. 

Blake lowered onto his knees next to her, not quite sure what to do, but just knowing he wasn’t just going to leave her there. 

“What do you need?” He asked, trying again. 

_A lawyer. Money to pay a lawyer. Money to buy Gavin out of his contract. The ability to not have to worry about rent next month. Marianne. God, what she wouldn’t give to have Marianne back…_

“Ice,” she offered instead. “And the master key. I know where Darla keeps extra ice packs, I just need you to take me there and get me in to her office.”

“Why don’t I go get it for you?” He offered. 

“You won’t find it, her office is a mess,” Gwen responded. She let go of her foot with a slight cringe, and unlaced her other shoe. “Can you please get me my left sneaker? By the door.”

Blake nodded, immediately stepping towards the door to get what she asked for. Gwen slipped the sock on her left foot and slid into the sneaker.

“Are you sure about this?”

“Positive,” she said. Blake bent down, letting Gwen put her arm over his shoulders and he slowly lifted her to stand on her one foot. Her arm slid down his back, securing around his torso. 

They were both mostly silent as he helped her hop down the hall, Gwen holding in any noises that might indicate pain as much as possible. She stopped them when they reached Darla’s door. Blake fished the keys out of his pocket without hesitation. 

“I’m sorry about earlier,” she offered him, gaze averting to the ground. “I’ve had a lot going on, I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. And…I know you wouldn’t have knowingly done anything against Marianne.”

Blake was perplexed by the sudden apology. “Thank you…but, really, you don’t need to apologize. That’s behind us now.”

“Kiwi will rob you blind, you can’t trust him,” she shook her head. He pushed the door open and she hopped a few steps into the room.

“Kiwi?”

“Brett,” Gwen clarified. She gently let go of Blake and sat herself down in one of the chairs. “We call him Kiwi, mostly because he hates it.”

Blake chuckled. “That’s so random.”

Gwen shrugged. “I’m told it has something to do with the country he’s from, New Zealand? It’s apparently a bird, not the fruit. Extra poetry points in the fact that it’s a _flightless_ bird, because he was never exactly known for his great jumps as a dancer.” 

“I can see now why he would hate that,” Blake laughed a bit. He turned back to the mission at hand. “Ice packs?”

“Oh, umm, check the second drawer from the bottom of that filing cabinet,” Gwen instructed, pointing to the one she was referencing. “Just move all of the boxes and stacks to the side.”

Blake neatly pushed the clutter aside, his hand tugging at the handle, but it was locked. He looked to Gwen for guidance.

“Key is taped under the corner table,” she pointed again.

“You’re right, you needed to come along.” Blake side stepped a few boxes and retrieved the key, unlocked the cabinet, did a little digging and found an instant ice pack. He took the liberty of popping the center and shaking it before handing it to her.

“Thanks,” she said gratefully, cringing from the cold impact as soon as she pressed it up against her foot. 

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

“I’ll be dancing on it again by morning.”

“That’s a little fast….?”

“We get injured every week. If we stayed down every time, there wouldn’t be any dancers to go on stage.”

Blake nodded. “You’re right,” he began. “I don’t know the first thing about any of this.”

The room fell silent for a few minutes.

“That’s not true. I already told you the first rule. Kiwi will rob you blind.”

Blake let out a low chuckle. “You’re right, you did.” A pause. “What’s his deal?”

Gwen simply rolled her eyes. “He’s full of himself, is what he is,” she began. “Delusional, too. He’s been pushing the envelope and trying to get really creative within the modern school, which is great, but he thinks he’s god’s gift to ballet.” She shifted the ice slightly on her foot. “Ballets don’t even break even on ticket sales, Blake. Companies survive on private funding. It’s just a fact. He basically thinks he’s going to make the first ballet in the world that will make a man rich.”

“That sounds insane, but I met the guy. I can believe that.”

“His brother is a slimy lawyer, can write a contract you wouldn’t blink twice at signing. He’s been trying to defund the lower income programs for a while now. Marianne secretly despised him, but she would never let it show to anyone but me. She came close a few times to showing him the door. Unfortunately, he’s great at his job, and contracts around here are cursed anyways.”

Blake caught the dual meaning, and debated whether or not to even bring it up. 

“Walls are pretty thin around here,” Blake pondered, treading carefully. 

She felt her cheeks flush red slightly. “They can be.”

“I was in Marianne’s office when…” he began. “I didn’t mean to listen, I’m sorry.”

“No, you shouldn’t have had to listen to that,” she shook her head. “So I’m sorry.” She fell silent, until her stomach betrayed her by grumbling loudly in the quiet space. Blake really wanted to push a bit further on that, but he knew now wasn’t the time. 

“Come on,” Blake said, standing up. “Why don’t we get you set up on that couch in Marianne’s office for a bit and I’ll go grab a pizza next door.”

“Oh,” she sighed. “I can’t have pizza, Blake,” she declined softly. Blake’s features fell slightly, a bit disappointed. “Not the night before rehearsals start. Actually, it’s really late, I should probably get home.”

“You’re going to drive?” He asked. 

She gently set the ice pack aside, and her hands gripped both arms of the chair. “I’ll manage,” she said with determination. Before Blake could respond, Gwen stood up on her one good foot. She slowly began to test putting pressure on the other.

“At least let me get your things,” Blake offered, but he was half way out of the door before he finished the sentence. A few minutes later, he was back, having neatly packed and zipped her belongings up for her. 

Gwen limped slowly, taking it easy, and was at the door as he returned. “Thank you,” she said genuinely. Her face was stiff otherwise, surely suppressing any reactions. She slid her bag onto her arm, and limped another few steps.

“Blake?” She stopped in the hallway, turning her head to look over her shoulder.

“Hmm?”

“It’s not that I’m not interested in your company,” she began, trying to carefully choose her words. “I mean, it really is just late, I need to rest.” She exhaled. “I’d let you buy me a salad sometime, though, I mean, if you need to eat sometime soon. If not it’s fine, I just…wanted to put that out there.”

“I like salads,” Blake said, suddenly feeling like an idiot as his words hit him. Somehow, Gwen’s face didn’t seem to believe him either. “We’ll do salads.”

Ok, he really needed to shut up now. 

Gwen let out a soft chuckle and nodded.

“Yeah, salads.” She bit her lip. “Goodnight, Blake.”

She turned back around, carefully half limp - half walking down the hall. And for a reason he couldn’t quite put his finger on, he didn’t tear his eyes away until she was completely out of sight.


	5. Drive

The anxiety hit hard in the pit of her stomach. Gwen really, truly, did not think this day would end up this way. It was a mere five minutes away from rehearsal time - and she wasn’t in the studio breaking in a brand new pair of pointe shoes. She was in her office, thumbing the paperwork on her desk mindlessly, wanting to go home and hide from the inevitable fall out, but at the same time having so much to do…

_”What did you expect, Gwen, you’re barely walking on it!” Darla’s words echoed in her head from the prior hour._

_“I can’t believe you’re benching me for a week,” Gwen had replied, shaking her head. The tone wasn’t angry though, it was almost worried. A little scared, even. “Darla, please, don’t do this. God, I swear I won’t do anything over the weekend but I HAVE to be in that studio today.”_

_“There will be other dances, darling,” she said, holding her ground._

_“I don’t care about the dance, it could be any dance, I don’t care if I ever dance again, but I need to be in that studio today.”_

_“One week,” Darla said. “We’ll re-evaluate. I promise. But I’m not risking permanent injury on you.” She sighed. “They’ll be alright, there’s an understudy that can go through the motions in these early rehearsals. You’re one of the best principals we have here, you’re not going to have trouble catching up. Haven’t you performed this one already, too?”_

__

It was a pointless fight, because she refused to reveal the real reason why she was upset about it. She didn’t care she was missing a rehearsal, she didn’t even care if she wasn’t in the production. But she’d bet her entire life savings that the moment Gavin realized he would be rehearsing with an understudy, he was going to give her absolute hell.

Two minutes to rehearsal - and Gavin showed up like clockwork.

“My God, there are so many different things I want to say, and it’s so hard to pick just one,” his voice came sneering from the door way. “If you were so scared to dance in front of me, there are other ways, Gwen, you didn’t have to go _that_ far.”

“Yeah, that’s what happened, I threw myself down a flight of stairs so I wouldn’t have to see you today,” she rolled her eyes. “You’re late to rehearsal - you need to leave now. I’m still your boss.”

“Boss?” He cackled. “Sweet Marianne isn’t around to give you that promotion any longer, dear. You’re still at the bottom with the rest of us.”

“I don’t see an office around here with your name on it,” she quipped with a shrug. 

Before Gavin could respond, a third voice joined the room.

“I’m new at this and all, but don’t dancers rehearse in studios?” 

Blake let himself in through the door frame, now standing adjacent to Gavin. And Gwen was stuck sitting at her desk with her foot propped up, unable to escape. She let out a nervous breath.

Gavin did a once over on Blake, and raised an eyebrow. The jeans, plaid, and cowboy boots wardrobe was foreign to Southern California. “This is a private conversation, buckeye, do you mind?”

His English accent was infuriating, but Blake instead enjoyed a chuckle at his expense. “What, did you get that from some old country western movie or something? No points for creativity.”

“Listen, I think you should leave. I don’t know who you think you are….”

“….oh! I did forget my Southern _buckeye_ manners,” Blake interrupted, forcing a handshake with him. “Blake Shelton. As in, you know, _Marianne Shelton_. Also, as in, your actual boss, because I own that carpet you’re standing on there.”

Gavin’s face seemed to be processing a mile a minute. Part of him thought this was a joke, and the other part seemed terrified.

“It’s ok, you don’t have to introduce yourself, I know all about you, I’ve actually been reading up on your contract this morning. Found some real interesting clauses in there about credit card expenses and appropriate behavior. Maybe we should set a meeting to discuss?” Blake didn’t get a word in before continuing. “Does this clock right there say it’s 9:06 AM? Isn’t that 6 minutes late for rehearsal? I was reading this other clause, somethin’ about tardiness and attendance…”

“Fine!” Gavin huffed, turning to leave. “Shove your clauses,” he muttered, finally making an exit. 

Gwen’s lips had parted in awe as she witnessed the exchange between the two of them. As soon as Gavin was gone, he turned to Gwen and offered her a sheepish grin. 

“I’m speechless,” she finally said. 

“I might look like a dumb Southern boy, but I’ve been in business a long time.” He shrugged slightly. 

It suddenly dawned on her. “You reported my injury to Darla, didn’t you?”

Blake let out a sigh, and closed her office door. He walked up to the desk she was sitting at and took a seat opposite of her. 

“I put two and two together, all the stuff with him. I mean, I saw you on it this morning, you were limping even worse than last night, someone was going to see it if it wasn’t me. And if you had tried to rehearse…” he shook his head. “I’ve had my fair share of injuries and pushing myself too hard. I was concerned.”

Gwen’s lips pursed together and she nodded. “I can’t be mad about it,” she finally admitted. “At least you showed up to lessen the fall out.” She paused. “Thank you.” A moment later, she almost laughed. “You must think I’m totally incapable of living, that’s all I’ve said to you since you got here.”

“I don’t think that,” he dismissed. “So…promotion? What was he talking about?”

The change of subject came at a bit of a whiplash. “Oh,” was all she said at first. “I guess it was never official or anything, I never had a fancy title, but uh…Marianne has been training me to run this place for the past year now.” She let out a breath. “I’m not getting any younger, and all dancers have an expiration date. So she’s been teaching me how to take over for her so she could start to retire…when I would need to retire.” She swallowed, quickly correcting herself. “ _Was_ teaching me how to take over.”

“You know how to run this place?” It hit him like a ton of bricks. “But…why didn’t you say anything?”

“That’s a strong sentence,” she corrected. “And It wasn’t my place. It’s not as if I have the title _Associate Director_ plastered on the wall…”

“Gwen, literally, titles do not matter to me - you’ve done this work. You’re a dancer. You understand all of this…” He was looking her straight in the eye now. “I need you. Badly. Because I’m drowning, and even though I can’t exactly say this is my life’s work…it was hers…and I can’t let her down.”

She seemed unsure. “I don’t know…” she sighed. “I’m not sure what you’re asking me.”

“I’m asking you to be my Associate Director,” he responded instantly. “Or whatever, you can call yourself whatever. I’m drowning here. I’m just a dumb guy that doesn’t know a toe shoe from a pointe one. I don’t know half of what anyone around here says because it’s in French, there’s this huge Summer Opening Gala thing I have to run and I had to google the word “gala”…Gwen, I can’t do this without you.”

It was a sincere and straightforward plea for help. She knew she had the ability to really help him, and she wanted to, but she also had to get something off her chest. It was holding her back, and maybe it was the one thing that had kept her so guarded. Well, at least, one of the things that did.

“If you answer one question honestly for me…I’ll help you,” she wagered.

“Anything,” he replied affirmatively. 

“Why did you hate me all of those years when we were teenagers?”

“What?” His mouth fell open, shocked, as that definitely not the question he was expecting. 

Her voice was quieter. “I always just assumed you hated me. When you came to town, it was hard for me. I felt like I had to stay away, you were her real family and I didn’t want to intrude. You’d hang around the studio and help Marianne out, and you wouldn’t look at me, talk to me. But then sometimes you just stared at me. I thought you hated me because I was so close to Marianne, but I couldn’t not be…” she let out a breath. “And then you stopped coming to the studio altogether over the last decade. I’d always wondered what had happened. I was always worried I was to blame for something.”

It was so much to take in all of a sudden, so many thoughts that had never crossed his mind, so many things he wanted to respond to. “Gwen, I have never, nor had I ever had a reason to hate you,” he breathed. “You…” he hesitated, not exactly expecting himself to go this far, but finished the thought anyways, “You _terrified_ me. There’s a big difference.”

He was looking somewhere up at the ceiling, not able to face her. “I had a _crush_ on you. How could I not? You had everything going for you, I was just the boy in the back of the studio with the mop bucket.” He chuckled. “I was scared to say anything to you. I didn’t want to make a fool out of myself. I didn’t know much about you, but I knew you were important to Marianne. It was easier to just keep my head down.”

_How could she not have known that,_ he wondered to himself.

Gwen swallowed, as her mind was digesting the shock of his confession. “And the last decade?” she reiterated.

“I thought you said I had to answer _one_ question honestly,” Blake quipped. 

“I did say that,” Gwen affirmed. She finally looked up to him, catching his gaze. A few moments passed. “I need to show you something,” she said finally. 

“Can you drive us somewhere?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your love and notes have been keeping me alive this week, I swear. Work has been really tough lately, so thank you all so much <3


	6. Not Complicated

It was only a few moments that the feeling of the perfect late Spring weather hitting his skin with the windows rolled down kept his attention. Gwen had seemed so serious about going somewhere, and he was not in a position to say no to her. He didn’t want to, he was intrigued. He had _always_ been intrigued.

A few sequential turns on a few very specific roads clarified the inevitable. It hit him where they were headed.

But why?

After following Gwen’s instructions, but actually not needing them soon before long, Blake pulled up and parked the car in the driveway at Marianne’s house. At first Gwen didn’t move, her eyes just staring straight ahead. Fixated.

“You’ve been here before?” Blake asked cooly as he broke the silence, half interested, and half trying to make sure there was still life in her. Maybe it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to him, but for some reason, it did.

She didn’t move immediately, she didn’t react. A moment later her hand reached down into her purse and retrieved her key ring to show off a key. Her eyes were still fixated on the door. “Can we go inside?”

“I think you’re able to make that decision without my permission,” he quipped softly, trying to lighten the mood. As soon as her head turned to him and her face portrayed hesitation, he regretted it.

“If you don’t want…” she began, but stopped. When she seemed to stay stuck on the hesitation, he spoke up.

“No, no…I was just, it was a bad attempt at humor,” he said quickly. “Of course we can go inside.”

Even if Gwen hadn’t been slightly limping on her foot, there was something delicate about the way she approached the house. 

“Are you sure you’re ok? Should you be walking?” Blake was trying to create conversation to fill the silence. He watched Gwen insert the key into the front door.

“Darla’s lucky I’m not dancing on it behind her back,” she mumbled, as if to say, _I could be doing a lot worse._

The front door swung open and she walked in with such ease, such familiarity. Her eyes fell on Blake’s suitcase laying open on the couch. 

“I meant to unpack that…” Blake started. 

“Please, you don’t have to say anything,” Gwen shook her head dismissively. “It’s not the suitcase. Just trying to figure out why this feels so…”

“…different?” He finished.

“Yeah.”

She shrugged it off and began walking down the hallway. Blake followed, wanting desperately to ask her more questions, but still reeling from the misstep in humor he attempted earlier. He knew in time he would understand.

“Have you been in here before?” She asked him, approaching the door at the end of the hallway.

Blake looked confused. “The storage closet?”

Gwen stopped, looking back at him now equally confused. “Storage closet? What are you talking about?”

Blake nodded towards the door in front of them. “This is where she kept all of the family heirlooms, things she wanted passed down. Things that were passed down to her,” he began. “She never trusted storage units. She had everything packed up and preserved, the door’s always been locked. It’s on my to-do list to find the key to get in there.” He paused, realizing the confusion growing on Gwen’s face. 

“She told you it was a storage closet,” she verified. “The door was locked every time you came to visit her?”

“Yeah…” he began. “I mean, I guess it was. It’s not liked I tried to go into it? Gwen, what’s in this closet?”

“It’s not a closet,” she began. “Didn’t you ever notice the door is made to push into the room?” She paused. 

_A room?_ He looked at the door frame and realized what she meant. If it was a closet, the door would be hinged to pull open, not push in. 

“I bet the door will open just fine if you try it now.” It hit her in that moment the lengths Marianne had gone to protect her privacy, even from her own blood family. It was overwhelming, to say the least, but she fought hard to maintain her composure. 

She stepped aside slightly to allow him in front of her. He still seemed to harbor a bit of doubt and curiosity as he moved forward, and sure enough, he turned the door handle and the door cracked opened with ease. 

“You can go in,” she encouraged, when he seemed to hesitate. He looked towards her one more time to ask final permission, then proceeded to step forward. 

The room in question was another bedroom. Queen sized bed made up, personal effects and pictures lined along the dresser. Blake stepped further in and looked around, almost as if it was a museum. Most of the pictures had Gwen in them. 

Gwen stepped to the opposite side of the room, towards the closet. “It wasn’t a total lie, by the way, she did have a few totes packed of family heirlooms in the closet,” she said. Her hands gripped both knobs and opened the double doors. “The black totes, in the corner.” She nodded towards them, neatly stacked, and only occupying a small fraction of the closet. He turned to look.

“Are you trying to say that you lived here?” Blake inquired, stepping to stand next to her. His eyes glanced over the black totes she mentioned, but then seemed to get distracted by all the rest of the items taking up the rest of the closet. 

Gwen took a breath and held it a few moments more than she intended to, before exhaling. Her tone was quiet. “I’m trying to say…” she began, a moment later clenching her teeth together. She pressed her lips tightly and took another breath, which she held. Her face betrayed her in one moment, and then she betrayed herself in the next. 

He had so many questions, but he didn’t want to push. She couldn’t even get a word out anymore, and she was fighting to just stand there. The struggle was obvious. Her eyes quickly shut tight and she turned slightly to move away.

Blake didn’t let her finish the turn away from him. In a quick reflex, his hand was on her arm and turned her back, pulling her against him. Before she even knew what was happening, her forehead was buried against his shirt, her hands grabbing and holding onto the cotton fabric on both sides of her cheeks, and she was just trying to focus on crying as quietly as possible - because stopping herself from crying at that point proved to be impossible.

His arms strongly secured her against him as he closed his own eyes tight, desperately wanting to help. Desperately wanting to make a joke that she’d laugh at, or something equally as distracting, but then…maybe she just needed to cry. Maybe she hadn’t yet. 

Her hands released the fabric of his shirt and her hands flattened against his chest. She inhaled a large breath in as her forehead moved away from him, standing up a bit straighter. Her hands didn’t move in the moments she held it in, she let her attention fixate on them. He stayed silent as he watched her, not wanting to say something dumb or unhelpful. He just wanted to be there if she needed it. 

The hands that had clenched onto his shirt in desperation of comfort moments earlier were now pushing into him - pushing him _back_. He took a small step back but didn’t release her. 

“You don’t need anything of this right now,” she said definitively. “I’m such an idiot. What am I doing. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to…” She sniffled, and rolled her eyes at herself. 

His hands moved up and rested against hers that were still against him. “You needed that,” he began. “Whatever it is, you needed to cry. You needed to come here. But what you need to do now is stop pushing me away.” He clutched her hands and the force against him stopped. “Please. Talk to me.”

“You don’t deserve that right now,” she shook her head once. “You just lost your grandmother. I have no right to be here, I have no right to do this, I have no right to make you look at me when I’m like this because of _why_ I’m like this and I have no right to make this harder. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“You’re allowed to grieve, too.” He exhaled, not realizing he was holding his breath. She retracted her right hand away from him and began swiping at the tears. He squeezed her left hand again. “You know blood never mattered to her,” he dismissed. “I mean look at this place.”

He moved and took a few steps towards the bed, keeping her other hand in his and gently tugging to indicate that he wanted her to follow. He sat down on the side of the bed, and she followed suit without a fight.

“I didn’t live here all the time. But I lived here more than any other place,” she explained quietly. She exhaled and let go of his hand, moving slightly back and away from him and laying her head back against the thick stack of pillows on the bed, moving her legs onto the bed and behind him. Her eyes went to the ceiling, his attention just kept on her in silence. 

“I put those on the ceiling when I was nine,” she continued, which caused Blake to look up above them. She was referring to the glow in the dark stars he suddenly noticed randomly placed on the ceiling. “I gave her a heart attack that day. I didn’t ask her to help me, I wanted to do it on my own, I didn’t want to wait. So I grabbed anything I could find in the room that I could stack to climb on top of - boxes, baskets, a step stool. I got a few up and when she came back and saw me she freaked out, screamed my name. It startled me so much I jumped and started to fall off the structure I built as it collapsed, but she was there and she grabbed me before I could break my arm and we both fell on our backs and onto the ground.” She sighed. “She was so angry at me. But I didn’t know then about the type of anger you feel for someone that’s really just because you care about them so much. I didn’t understand that she didn’t hate me, but that she was angry only because I almost got hurt.”

He listened intently to her, as so many things began to click - how she had kept so much to herself this entire time, and what it was like to live in her world. Her eyes stayed fixated on the stars as she seemed to relive the memory. 

“She went to make dinner and I ran away that night,” she continued. “It wasn’t the first time. But it was the only time I ran away from her.” She exhaled. “I didn’t have anywhere to go, I was hiding in the park a few miles from here. She stayed out all night looking for me. Around sunrise, she found me sitting on the ground behind a park bench. I was crying and shaking from the cold. She didn’t yell. She just got down next to me and put her jacket around my shoulders, forcing me into her arms. We both cried for probably another hour sitting there before she eventually drove us home.”

Gwen’s next few breaths seemed heavy, and she closed her eyes to focus on calming them. Blake moved slightly back on the bed, allowing his back and head to rest against the other side, now laying next to Gwen as he mimicked her position. Gwen’s eyes opened and they both stared up at the stars for a while. 

“She loved unconditionally,” Blake finally said. “Thank God that she did, because I’ve got a laundry list of things I broke running around this house.”

Blake was surprised when a small chuckle emerged from Gwen’s lips. It was quick, and he almost thought he imagined it, but the small smile on her face confirmed it had happened. 

“She taught me what unconditional love is,” she soon responded. “I didn’t come from much. I didn’t grow up in this neighborhood. I only ended up in her ballet studio when I was 4 because my social worker heard of a free kids dance program at her studio and it was a desperate attempt to get me to speak and interact with people. Marianne always had a place for me here. I was here most evenings in elementary school because she wanted to make sure I had a place to do my homework. By the age of nine, this bedroom was basically mine. When I was eleven, I had enough one day and punched the lights out of the boy that harassed and bullied me at school and when the school tried to say it was my fault, she used her address to transfer me to this school district. By high school, when most teenagers hate all adults, she was my best friend. I kept up in dance. She never asked me to pay for anything. When I was old enough, I started teaching at the studio and wouldn’t let her pay me until I made principal.” She swallowed. “And when I got pregnant and couldn’t afford rent, because I couldn’t dance, I moved in. And when his father stole custody and moved back to England, and I couldn’t function, I laid in this bed for weeks.”

Her hands came up and wiped her tears away. “Every recital. Every school function, graduation - Blake, that woman raised me and asked nothing of me in return.”

All he could do was stare at the ceiling as he tried to take in and process all of this new information. There was so much he had no idea he had never known, and felt suddenly dumb that he had been so oblivious. 

“And you stayed away from Marianne when I came to visit because you were afraid if you caused problems, you would lose her.”

“Yeah,” she whispered in response. 

“And when you thought we cut the low income programs yesterday…”

“Yeah,” she nodded again. A moment later, she looked over to him. “I don’t want you to feel like you owe me anything, because you don’t. I actually probably owe you a lot. But, I’m just grateful that I had her. I haven’t lived here in a long time, I have my own studio apartment not far from here. And I don’t even know why I told you any of this, or why I asked you to drive us here…” her words trailed off. 

A few moments of silence fell between them.

“Because we’re friends,” he affirmed.

“Oh?” Her attention went back over to him, and their eyes locked.

“I think we could both use one, don’t you?”

She paused, only considering for a second. “Yeah, I do.” 

She exhaled, as she continued the sudden staring contest with him that he had started. His arm extended, and with slight hesitation, she accepted the invitation to move closer to him. Her head rested on his shoulder as his arm went around her.

“Well the good news is, you can easily get past that crush of yours now that you’ve seen what a mess I am in real life,” she tried to joke. 

Blake couldn’t help but chuckle, though a bit nervously as he suddenly felt like he was being called out. “I don’t think you’re the type that has issues with getting people to like you,” he deflected quickly. 

There was something oddly comforting about being there with him, and she was wholly unprepared for that. It was the most positive human interaction she had experienced in days. She felt weird one minute, like she was intruding, but the next it felt as if he needed whatever this was in the same way she did. 

“Why did you stop coming out here, Blake?” She tried again, treading carefully. 

Though she couldn’t see it, he gave a half-hearted smile and shook his head once. “It’s not important,” he said.

“I think it is.”

He sighed.

“I didn’t stop visiting her altogether,” he clarified. “It’s just that my visits got shorter. I had a lot going on.”

“Vodka,” she guessed, referring to his company. 

“Ahh, you know about that.”

“Of course I do. She was really proud of you. I might not have seen you around, but I heard things about you. She talked about you all the time….probably because she loved to brag about the fact that she named your vodka.”

He chuckled even when the sentiment of his absence hit him in a way he wasn’t expecting - guilt, maybe? - like he should have been around more lately. “That’s what she told you, eh?” He considered it for a moment. “She was critical to the naming operation, so I’ll let her have that one today.” He fell silent for a moment. “That was one of my careers that took up a lot of time.”

“There were others?” she inquired. 

He hummed. “Yes. Including my ex-wife, who was a full time job in and of herself.”

The way he said it with a slight twinge of bitterness kept her attention. 

“Sounds complicated.”

“It was.” A beat. “Doesn’t sound like you’re a stranger to complication, either.”

“Hey Blake”

“Mmm?”

“Can we stay a while longer and be _not_ complicated?”

He shifted slightly, seeming to get just a bit more comfortable amongst the many pillows they were laying on top of. 

“I couldn’t think of anything better than that.”


	7. Moving Mountains

As soon as she opened her eyes, she groaned slightly and shut them back closed on impact of the sun radiating through the blinds. She temporarily let herself daze, but her body seemed to feel something amiss and her eyes opened swiftly. Her gaze fixated on the ceiling, her attention caught on those glow in the dark stars. Her body shot up straight, looking around the room to realize she was alone. Her eyes fell over to the clock on the side of the bed, indicating that it was three in the afternoon.

_Shit._

She looked at the blanket covering her body, not remembering putting it there. She pushed it off to the side as she stood up, and made her way out to the living room. 

“Mornin’ sunshine,” came Blake’s southern accent as soon as she appeared from the hallway. He was sitting in the living room - suitcase now in the far corner of the room. A simple pair of reading glasses perched on his nose - one hand was occupied with a document, and the other, a slice of pizza. The box where it came from was sitting on the coffee table in front of him, he must have ordered delivery. 

“I’m so embarrassed,” Gwen said, partially covering her face with her hand as she just lingered, standing there. She felt like maybe she should leave, apologize, something - she didn’t mean to take over his entire day. “I can’t believe it’s so late. I’m sorry. I didn’t sleep last night and, really, you should have woken me up…”

“To tell ya the truth, I’ve been more comfortable working from this couch more than that museum of an office,” he shrugged. “If you could call it work. Does it count if I’m confused over most of it?”

“Ballet isn’t easy. And, it’s political,” she agreed. Her arms went around herself, as she didn’t seem to feel comfortable entering or exiting at that point.

“I’ve got my first giant list of questions for you, that’s for sure,” he responded. “But first, you should eat. You said you like salad, but I don’t know what kind, so I ordered three. They’re in the fridge.” 

Her heart nearly skipped a beat, her features softening as soon as the realization settled in with how much thought he had put into that - the fact that he presumed she would want a salad, the fact that he let her sleep when she was tired and it wasn’t a bother, the fact that he had food waiting for her. It was an odd sensation and she wasn’t quite sure how to respond to how much he was simply considering her. She wasn’t used to it.

He moved slightly on the couch to make room for Gwen to presumably join him after making her selection, and pulled the blanket back slightly in case she wanted to use it. He shifted his laptop to the other side of him. She surprised him, though, by moving forwards towards him instead of towards the kitchen.

“If I’m benched for the week, I’m helping you with that pizza,” she said, reaching for the box and picking up a small slice of cheesy goodness, a devilish smile tugging at the corner of her lips. Blake let out a small chuckle, watching her take the seat next to him, her legs drawing up and off the ground, tucked neatly under herself. The dip in the couch was dramatic and caused her to almost fall against him, their shoulders slightly touching. Gwen leaned back against the back cushion and took a bite, closing her eyes to savor it. She exhaled as if she was in heaven.

“You don’t eat pizza much, hmm?”

Gwen couldn’t help but laugh a bit. “That obvious?” Another bite. “Surprising, though, I didn’t take you for just a plain cheese type of guy.”

“I like to think I’m somewhat simple,” he responded, keeping an eye on her. He couldn’t look away. 

“You didn’t really have to do all of this,” she reiterated, before taking a third bite. “I’ve completely lost my mind and stole your entire day. And you ordered me salad, and…are you sure…”

“…. _yes_ , Gwen, stop apologizin’…” Blake cut her off, and he couldn’t help but laugh. His laughter nearly confused her and she silenced, glancing down immediately to fixate on something other than him. “You’re really bad at letting people do things for you.”

It was silent between them for a few minutes until the familiar _ding_ of a newly received email abruptly ended it.

Blake glanced at his laptop sitting on the opposite site of him, and sighed a few moments later.

“Ballet or vodka?” She asked. 

“Vodka I can handle. It’s you ballet people that are crazy,” he chuckled, shaking his head.

“Let me see,” she nudged him, willing him to bring the laptop closer to her. 

Blake reached forward and set a few documents down on the table, put the rest of the slice in his mouth, and pulled the laptop into his lap. Gwen’s attention drew to it, leaning towards him, her head hovering right next to his shoulder, her arm pressing against his. She began reading the email in question.

“It’s just the summer opening gala,” she said, nonchalantly. 

“And that’s supposed to be reassuring?” He asked with a chuckle. 

“I told you I would help you,” she reminded him. She considered for a minute, then sighed. “Well, it is a big deal. And yeah, well, now that I’m thinking about it, you have a LOT to learn before that night…”

“I appreciate the vote of confidence?” He answered, uncertain. 

Gwen sat back on the couch, her legs curling up just a bit tighter against her body. Her eyes fixated on him. 

“What?” He asked, when the silence seemed to drag on. She was calculating something, he could tell.

Gwen shook her head, dismissing it. “Nothing.”

“I’ll give you another slice of pizza if you tell me,” he bargained. 

Gwen laughed. “I was going to take one anyway.”

She bit her lip, as he continued to look at her. She took another bite of pizza, realizing she suddenly needed to calm her stomach. It was all…fluttery. He wasn’t giving up, their gazes were locked and neither of them could look away. In 36 hours she had gone from nervous over the prospect of seeing him, to angry and yelling at him, to crying and injured, to crying and grieving, and now hungry and desperate?

She wanted to shudder at the thought of being desperate. Her first instinct was to deny it, but there was something lingering in the air that made her just want to be near him, and she couldn’t explain it. 

“Come on, cowboy, we need to get to work,” she encouraged, breaking the silence. She took the final bite of pizza, snatched a napkin from the table to wipe her hands, and gently took the laptop from him, keeping an eye on him to make sure it was ok as she sat the laptop in her lap. 

“It’s wild, isn’t it?” he wasn’t letting her get away with the distraction. She settled back and her attention went back to him. Blake also relaxed, his back now against the cushion behind them. “In a way I’ve known you for years, but then not at all. And just the past day in and of itself…” He didn’t finish the thought, eventually shrugging once and shaking his head. 

Realizing he wasn’t going to let this go, her lips pursed together. “What do you think it is?”

Her response was unexpected to him. “Familiarity, maybe,” he suggested. He was careful to not say too much more, not wanting to reveal any of the thoughts going through his head. He couldn’t get his mind around them, let alone convey them properly right now. “I don’t know.”

“Is it bad?” She asked next, really wanting him to answer not only that question, but all of the ones swirling around in her own mind that she hadn’t gotten to yet.

“No,” he dismissed almost immediately. “I’m thankful, though. Familiarity can be reassuring when I feel like all of this ballet stuff is just out of control.” For the first time, he wasn’t full of quick quips about the studio. He actually looked stressed, anxious, even. It disarmed her further, as she closed the lid to the laptop and set it aside. She turned towards him, taking one of his hands into hers.

“Hey,” she said softly, her eyes fixated on their hands as she squeezed his in between hers. “I’m going to teach you everything I know. Which is actually a lot, I mean, Marianne didn’t exactly leave room for mediocrity.” Her lips tugged in a small, sad smile at the memory. “You were right yesterday. I tried to pretend you have options, but you don’t. It has to be me. I know how to do most of this stuff, and I know how Marianne would want it. You can’t just hire someone off the streets.” She paused. “I’ll put everything I have into this. But I need to know that you’re going to trust me.”

“That’s easy, ‘cause I already do,” he responded honestly. 

“Okay,” she nodded, thinking through next steps. “Summer Opening Gala is important, and we’ll get to that in a minute. But the first thing you need to do is establish yourself. Your name is on the deed to the building, but that doesn’t mean anything to anyone. Ballet people have egos. You have to show that you defer to their expertise, and that you are at least trying to learn something.”

“Makes sense,” he agreed. She looked up to him.

“Think of it like you were just elected President, and it’s Inauguration Day,” she said. “You have to establish your cabinet, your advisors. You need to get their buy in. You need to be able to motivate these people to move mountains for you when you need them to.”

“Will you move a mountain for me, Gwen?” He asked with a grin, and she couldn’t help but roll her eyes and laugh. 

“I’m _serious_ ,” she emphasized. “Trust me, I’m moving one just by putting you through this training. You’re thankful now, but give it about a week or two.”

“Ok, ok, move mountains, check,” he replied. “What else?”

“We were in the middle of hiring a new Artistic Director for Modern Dance,” she explained. 

“But isn’t that Kiwi dude modern something?”

“Kiwi is Artistic Director of Modern _Ballet_ ,” she clarified. “Modern _Dance_ is it’s own…thing.” She sighed. “I’m not trying to be weird, I just don’t know how to explain it. Modern dance is the antithesis of ballet. In ballet you have five positions, you have pirouettes. You have _glissade, jete, pas de bouree, tombe…_ ” she mumbled out more French terms and he was completely lost, but still hanging on every word she was saying. “Modern dance doesn’t really have moves. They just kind of do whatever they want. It’s hard to explain.”

He considered this for a moment. “So if they do whatever they want, why do they need a choreographer?”

She looked at him, stunned for a moment. She knew there was a why, but she was just now realizing how dumb it all sounded. She started laughing, breaking the silence. 

“I have no idea how to answer that,” she exclaimed. 

“See? I’m saving us money already,” he said with a grin. 

“No Blake, you still need to hire someone,” she dismissed, even though she was still chuckling. She calmed herself a bit. “Ok. Point is, you need to us this opportunity to stroke some egos and get people on your side that already work for you. If you make them think they have a huge say over hiring, it will have an impact. And the new person will already be on your side, because you gave them a job.”

She let the silence linger for a moment before she shifted gears.

“Ok, Summer Opening Gala,” she breathed. “You need a tux. Do you have one?”

“Negative.”

“We’ll go shopping. Have you ever written a speech before and delivered it to a room full of creatives with sticks up their asses?”

“Negative?”

“Ok, we’ll write one.” She paused. “Have you ever secured outside funding for a business? Schmoozed donors for money over too many drinks? Babysat drunk ballet dancers to make sure a brawl didn’t erupt in the middle of the dance floor?”

He looked terrified, but wildly amused. 

“Where do I sign up?”

"Ok, good answers so far," Gwen nodded. "But I really need to hear one more time, do you trust me, and are you doing to really do whatever I say you need to do?"

The answer didn't come as quickly or easily as it had the first time she asked, because now he felt like there was something under the surface. He didn't have a choice though, and for some reason, he did really trust Gwen. She was a mini-Marianne, and the one person he knew didn't want her legacy to fall apart. She was his best chance and only hope all rolled into one. 

"Yes," he swallowed. He hoped he wouldn't regret it.

"Ok, then let's begin."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all who are reading and commenting, it's keeping me company during this crazy time <3


	8. The New Normal

The new normal was something she could get used to. It worried her that she might, all at the same time.

For a week now, Gwen would come in around 9:00 in the morning for them to get started. She helped Blake comb through contracts, donor profiles, employee files, the program run, the auction list. They had meetings set up with the event planners, they visited the venue, they approved the menus. It kept her occupied, and it kept her away from Gavin. And that was the only thing she for sure knew she needed. 

But now the single one day Blake had been dreading the most had arrived - the day when Gwen dragged him into the formal wear shop. 

He felt like he had been standing still for _hours_ as the tailor tugged and pulled and pricked the fabric with pins. Gwen stood slightly to the side of him, doing some tugging on her own. 

“I’m still not convinced this is the one,” she said, tilting her head to the side as she looked at him through the mirror in front of them. 

“Gwen, they’re all black. Please point out the difference between this one and the last 5 you had me try on.”

“The last 5 you had on didn’t put you in such a cranky mood,” she quipped. “This fabric is a bit rougher than I’d like. Francisco, can you switch this out to something nicer?”

“Uggghhh,” Blake complained, rolling his eyes. “This is worse than getting fit for my wedding.”

“He hasn’t even started pinning the jacket yet, relax!” She flicked him in the arm, careful to not cause him to anger the tailor on the ground next to them with sudden movement. 

Gwen reached up to Blake’s shoulders and gently pulled the jacket off, trading off for the new one that Francisco brought over to her. 

“There you go, cryptically mentioning your life again that you won’t tell me about,” she muttered. She reached up, holding the new jacket to slip onto his shoulders. 

He gave her a look.

“What?” she asked. 

“Nothing, because I don’t want to admit that I like this one more.”

They stared at each other through the mirror, before they both started chuckling. “And how convenient to completely ignore…”

“Miss Gwen!” She turned once she heard her name, seeing a young girl frolicking up towards her. 

“Mallory,” she smiled, giving the smaller girl a hug. 

“Did you come to pick up your dress?” she asked. 

“Ahh,” Gwen said, and shook her head once. “I don’t think that dress is going to happen. Rent out here isn’t cheap.”

“But it looks stunning on you,” Mallory responded, disappointed. 

“Hey, it’s okay, why don’t you keep it in the back for a little while longer. If someone else comes along and you think you can sell it, get the commission on it. It’s an easy dress to sell.” She sighed. “It is beautiful.”

Mallory’s eyes flickered to Blake. “Who’s this?”

As if on cue, Blake’s posture straightened up and he grinned. A second tailor was now pinning the new jacket.

Gwen rolled her eyes and laughed. “Just someone who’s ungrateful that I’ve given up my entire day to help him again,” she said a little louder. 

“Oh I’m always grateful,” he said, remaining still. “But I still swear I could just wear jeans and a jacket and make it work.”

“Isn’t that what you did at that wedding of yours I know nothing about?”

“No comment.”

Mallory looked away from him sheepishly, then to Gwen. “Good luck with that,” she mumbled, before walking to the back of the store. 

Gwen turned her attention back to Blake.

“So, what’re you gonna wear to this thing?” Blake asked. 

Gwen shrugged. “I have dresses at home. Not sure yet.”

He hummed. 

“Alright sir, please take off gently and we are finished,” the tailor on the ground said as he stood up. As if on cue, Gwen reached up to Blake’s broad shoulders and shimmied the pinned jacket off of him gently. 

“Don’t throw those on the ground, hand them to me through the curtain,” she instructed, not trusting him.

“Yes ma’am,” he nodded, walked towards the curtained dressing room. He slid behind it, as Gwen waited right outside. 

“It will be worth it, you know,” she spoke up, her back leaning against the wall. “Ballet people are fashion people, and they’ll take you seriously when you show up in this tux.”

The sound of the rustling curtain drew her attention towards him. She had to stop and blink twice, as she suddenly had a full view into the dressing room behind the curtain. He was shirtless, standing in his boxers, hand outstretched with the pants.

“What? Didn’t you tell me to….”

“….yeah, _yeah_ ,” she stammered, shook her head, grabbed the pants from him, then grabbed the curtain and pulled it abruptly between them again. Her cheeks were flushed. The tailor came over and stood in front of her, and she mindlessly handed them off to the older man. 

“I’m just not used to you listening so well to me, you know,” she tried to cover it up. She rolled her eyes. Even she thought she sounded stupid.

A moment later he emerged from the dressing room - jeans, boots, plain white t-shirt. She just stared at him for the first few moments.

“What, do you want me to take my pants off again?” He teased her with a grin.

“Shut up,” she said through gritted teeth, and with a roll of her eyes.

“Come on Gwen, I’m messin’ with you,” he nudged her shoulder, and she rolled her eyes and pushed him back. 

“We have a lot to do, come on, let’s settle up and get back to the studio.”

—————

Gwen hovered at Blake’s office door, watching him work for a few minutes on the couch. She noticed he liked that couch as a workspace a lot more than the actual glass desk, so it wasn’t surprising to her. Her back leaned gently against the door frame, seeing how long it would take him to notice she was there.

Blake shifted slightly as he uncrossed his right leg to cross his left, his gaze drawing up to her. He offered her a smile, and a raised eyebrow.

“Lettin’ me do all the work now, I see,” he teased. Damn, that accent was really starting to wear her down. 

“You just looked so content with your laptop,” she cocked her head for emphasis. 

“Are you teaching today?” He asked, nodding at her attire. Even when Gwen wasn’t able to dance herself, she still pulled her tights on and dressed the part. One of the many small things he was beginning to notice and remember about her.

“Something like that,” she said quieter. 

The tone changed, and Blake’s gaze locked on her for a few moments longer, as if silently encouraging her to continue. 

“Darla said two more weeks off,” she sighed. “It sucks getting old.”

“You’re not _old_ ,” Blake responded.

“Uhhh, in dancer years, I’d qualify for the senior citizen’s discount at Denny’s!”

Blake chuckled once, and shook his head. “You’re more than just a dancer, Gwen. Remember that.”

“I don’t know what I am, because it’s all I’ve ever been.”

Blake motioned her over to sit with him. She considered it for a second, before taking the five or six strides to close the distance between them. She settled on the couch next to him.

“First off, you’re the only one in the world that understands any of this…” he flashed his laptop in front of her, and what she could gather from it was he was showing her all of the plans and data from the upcoming gala. “And you’re saving my ass in the process, while being a good friend to me. Your students love you. I mean, there’s just always been something about you. I remember when you were in a room, there’s just this energy that pulls people in. It doesn’t happen only when you dance, it happens as soon as you enter.”

Her face cringed a little bit. “You remember watching me dance?”

“More than I’d care to admit?” He answered. “But it wasn’t your dancing that caught my attention, it was _you_. I know I was just the dude in the background helping Marianne clean the studios sometime, but I was around more than you think. I saw how you were with her. I saw how you helped others. I saw you obsessed with the hard work and trying to get everything perfect - sometimes that almost killed you.” He paused for a second and started laughing. “God, I remember that one time you started taking swings at those two girls…”

Gwen started laughing, as she covered her face with one hand, realizing where he was going. “Lucy and Brianna…”

“Yes!” Blake exclaimed. “Those two were nasty. They were horrible to everyone. And when I saw you in that studio with one pinned to the ground and the other cowered nearby…”

They were both laughing now, recalling the story. Gwen pulled her legs up and pressed her face into them, almost embarrassed that he recalled that story in such detail. 

“Ughh…” she managed in between her laughter. She turned her head to look at him, her cheek resting against her knee.

“I never figured out what made you snap on them that day,” Blake recalled. 

“You might not believe me if I told you now,” she said, able to calm her laughter for the time being.

“Try me,” he encouraged.

“You’d been back in town for a few days. Marianne said you were spending a month with her,” Gwen began. “Those two hated anyone who wasn’t filthy rich, I know they liked to mess with you. I caught wind that morning that they were planning on filling your mop bucket with bleach as a joke and to get you in trouble. It would have ruined the floors. God, it would have been really, really bad.” Gwen shook her head. “They didn’t mess with me much because I’d already scared them straight. And for your sake, as well as Marianne’s, I had to throw a few punches in that day to make sure they’d back off of you, too.”

Their gazes locked and got lost in each other near the end of her recalling the story. Blake’s mouth was slightly open, a little in shock. 

“And all I did was jump in to pull you off of her,” he responded. He couldn’t help but chuckle a little. “Why wouldn’t you tell me that then?”

“Easier for people to just think the charity case had anger issues,” she shrugged. “I spent a lot of my life with people not believing me. Marianne always did, but I didn’t want to cause any issues for her. I couldn’t cause issues between the two of you, even if it was someone else’s fault.”

“You’re not a charity case. It’s pretty obvious you’re the heart of this place.”

“Oh god,” she said sitting up suddenly, taking a breath. “That’s not fair, I’m not good at taking compliments at all, you’re going to have to warn me like, a week in advance next time.” She took in another breath and forced a smile to Blake, willing herself to not get emotional. 

He thought it was endearing the way she reacted, even though he meant every ounce of it. Before he was able to respond, she shifted gears. 

“So hey, remember all that stuff you promised about trusting me and doing anything I said?”

Blake chuckled. “I’m suddenly terrified.”

“Well the next part is not going to be your favorite, but it’s completely and totally necessary.”

“Okay…?” He sighed. “Do I even get a hint of what I’m in for?”

“There probably is _not_ a risk of bodily injury or mental harm,” she contemplated. “You might enjoy it more than the formal wear shop, but then again, you might think it’s ten times worse.” She couldn’t help but giggle, and she suddenly hopped to stand up. She looked down to him to offer a sweet smile, and her hand.

“Come on cowboy. I don’t ask twice, and I don’t take no for an answer.”


	9. Bend

In possible fear of Gwen once again exhibiting her karate skills from her younger years, but mostly in a complete state of intrigue as to what was going on, Blake took Gwen’s hand as offered.

He was curious as he let her lead him down the hallway, her occasionally squeezing his hand to encourage him to continue walking with her. She abruptly stopped and moved to one side with him, Her pointe shoes pecked gently at his boots.

“No boots where we’re going. Take ‘em off.”

“Yes ma’am,” he nodded and obliged, and Gwen couldn’t help but laugh when he did that. It tugged at her every time, and she didn’t quite know why. She was far too young to be a _ma’am_ , but there was just something so endearing about the way he spoke to her. 

Once he had his boots in hand, she pushed open the door to one of the studios and tugged him inside. Immediately as the door opened, the noise from a largely packed room spilled into the hallway. There were children putting their shoes on, others running around, two other adults trying to tend to some of the kids, and others just seemingly loosing their minds as they seemed to be playing games of keep away and tag. 

“I know you guys aren’t giving Miss Amanda and Mister James a hard time!” Gwen’s voice bellowed into the room, which caught most of their attention. Immediately, the children began piping up one by one with their greetings, a handful even running over to her.

“Miss Gwen! Do you see my new jacket that my mommy got for me?”

“Miss Gwen Miss Gwen, I’ve been practicing my turns, want to see?!”

“Miss Gwen I need help with my hair!”

“Miss Gwen I need my shoes please!”

The chaos didn’t seem to bother her as she took a seat on a fold out chair and started to get to work with all the requests. As she helped one little girl with her ballet bun, she encouraged the other to show her how she had practiced her turns, and another she asked her to model and show off her new jacket. Once she was done with the one little girl’s hair, she reached around to gently take Daisy’s arm, knowing the young girl wouldn’t push up to the front any time soon.

“I have some pretty ballet shoes for a pretty girl,” she said with a big grin, pulling Daisy onto her lap.

“Thank you for remembering me,” Daisy whispered, her head leaning against Gwen’s shoulder. Gwen planted a soft kiss on top of the girl’s head as she began lacing up her shoes. 

“What do you think? Wanna try them out?” Gwen nudged her. Daisy hopped up and took a few steps, getting a feel for the shoes and gave Gwen a huge grin.

“They’re amazzzzzzziiiiingggg!” She squealed, and soon, she was off running a circle around the studio with a few of the other kids. Gwen started laughing, and stood up to walk to the front of the room. As she passed Blake, she took his hand back into hers and pulled him with her.

“Ok guys, we have a very important class today,” she announced, and the room immediately died down in excitement to focus on Gwen. “I have a really special friend with me today, this is Mr. Blake, can you guys say hi?”

Various children piped up with their versions of “Hi, Mr. Blake!” without hesitation. 

“So my friend Mr. Blake really needs our help today,” she continued. “I thought long and hard about what class of mine would be the best for this project, and I think you guys are it. Are you up for it?”

_She really knows how to hype up a room_ , Blake thought to himself as he found his gaze completely glued onto her next to him. The children were going wild again and seemed definitively excited about whatever Gwen was about to ask them to do, even though she hadn’t said a word yet. 

“Ok so,” Gwen continued, as she looked to Blake and bit her lip through a smile. “Mr. Blake needs us to give him his first ever ballet lesson today. Do you think we can help him?”

Blake’s eyes widened as it finally dawned on him what she was up to. 

“Oh, I uhhh….” He chuckled nervously, and shook his head. “I’m really a much better watcher than a dancer. I think I’ll really get more out of this from that little chair right over there…” Though he protested, he already knew deep down, he wasn’t getting out of this one. 

The children were in hysterics and excitement as soon as Gwen made the announcement, but he almost couldn’t hear all of the noise as he just stared at Gwen. He couldn’t believe she was even suggesting…

“Sorry cowboy, but nobody’s going to take a studio owner seriously that hasn’t been to at least _one_ class,” Gwen shrugged. 

“I’m _here_ , in a _class_ , watching…” his words cut off suddenly, as his attention pulled down to his pant leg. He felt a little hand tugging on it. His eyes fell upon Daisy, the little girl that Gwen had just put the shoes on. She was motioning him down to her level. 

Completely unable to resist, he sighed and bent down, resting on his knees with the little girl now just barely able to hit his chin. 

“Mr. Blake, it’s ok to be scared for your first class, I was,” she said softly, feeling a little shy. “But it’s not hard. I’ll help you if you want.”

His heart felt like it was breaking in those moments - like Jesus Christ, he felt like he wanted to shatter just hearing those little girl’s words, and he knew even more so than before - he was absolutely not getting out of this. 

He peered up to Gwen, who was watching the interaction between them.

“Let me be insanely, crystal clear, that I’m going to do this for _Daisy_ , and this is in no way something I’m doing for _Gwen_.”

Gwen couldn’t help but laugh. “Whatever you need to tell yourself,” she winked. Blake stood back up as Gwen made another class announcement. “Ok class, let’s all start at the barre, left hand, first position.”

The children all raced to grab the barre, and Gwen moved a few extra barres to the center so everyone would have enough room. She took Blake’s left hand and walked him over to a spot of his own. She stood in front of him, and began to make adjustments.

“Back straight,” she motioned. Her hand glided down his arm, squeezing his hand on the barre. “Looser grip, relax a bit, you just want your hand to rest for balance, not grabbing.”

He seemed to huff a little, feeling completely out of place. She came to the side of him. 

“Feet in first position, like a ‘v’ almost,” she instructed, and pointed to one of the students nearby that had the position demonstrated. One hand splayed across his stomach, and the other his lower back. Almost _too_ lower back. His eyebrows both raised as he shot her a look.

“Not in front of the _children_ ,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Shut up, I’m fixing your posture. Lifted, and not tucked under. When you plie’, you want to keep your body in this position. Stomach flat, rear tucked under.”

“Fixing my posture, _sure_ …”

“You said anything,” Gwen reminded him. “And you’re doing this for Daisy, remember?”

Blake looked at the little girl at the barre in front of him, and she turned with a grin and gave him a thumbs up.

“Yes,” he sighed. “What’s that thing you want me to do with my feet?”

“First position,” she echoed. “Like this.”

She moved in front of him, placing her own hand on the barre and turning her feet out into first. 

“We will have second position….third, fourth, and fifth,” she called them out as she demonstrated. “Don’t worry if you don’t remember them now, I just want you to be familiar with them and you’ll be able to follow along. We’re going to be doing some plie’s, tendus, and grand plie’s at the barre.”

She demonstrated all three completely, but he was in particular fascinated and terrified with that last one. With Gwen’s exquisite turnout, her grand plie was practically all the way to the floor. It was seductive in its own way, and he couldn’t tear his eyes off of her…

“Gwen, cowboys do not, nor should they, bend that way,” he stated affirmatively. 

She turned on one foot and faced him. “Well, at least you’ll have fun trying!” She offered him a big smile, the palm of her hand gently patting against his cheek, before she stepped to the side. She pointed up at Daisy. “Watch what your little friend is doing, she’ll help you.”

He wanted to protest, but he knew it was in vain. Gwen jogged over to the music and turned on a classical track, and began giving instructions out to the room for the barre.

_”Plie, and stretch. Plie, and stretch. Grand plie…keep going, keep going, all the way down, hold that count…and stretch. Rise up, take a balance, hold it, hold it more, you’ve got it….okay, relax. Second position, let’s go…”_

Blake awkwardly attempted to keep up, keeping an eye on Daisy and a few of the others in front of him. Gwen continued to call out the barre positions and walked up to Blake as soon as she called for the switch to second.

Gwen slid in front of him, her hand on the barre, as she demonstrated the movements simultaneously with the call outs for the class. 

Somehow, the view of Gwen’s backside was _much_ easier to follow along with, when he didn’t just catch himself staring. And when she went all the way to the ground on that grand plie thing, he in fact did find out that cowboys _could_ bend that way, after all, if only they had the right motivation. 

“ _Sous sous_ , take a rise and balance, arms in fifth,” Gwen instructed. “Hold this for ten seconds, you’ve got plenty of music.”

She let herself out of the position and turned to Blake, and for a cowboy, his _sous sous_ and fifth position arms were not all that bad. She reached up gently to adjust his arms for him.

“You’re doing good, cowboy,” she whispered with a smile. 

“Are you supposed to breathe during this?” He stammered.

She laughed softly. “Yes, please breathe. Roll your shoulders back a bit more, it will help your stamina.”

“Why is this so hard?” He muttered. 

“Annnnndddd relax,” Gwen called out to everyone. “Grab some water, you guys are doing really good today.”

Blake almost fell out of his attempted _sous sous_ as his heels hit the ground. “Jesus,” he said. 

“Ballet is obviously in your blood,” Gwen quipped, but couldn’t help but laugh. “Come on, tendus will be easier on you, I think.”

————

She had to give Blake a ton of credit - he stayed during the entire class, and participated (or at least tried to participate) in every exercise they did. There was something so endearing about this 6’5 cowboy running around with these children and trying to keep up with them, and he even managed to land a semi-mangled pirouette by the end of it (no matter how jumbled it had been, they seemed equally impressed he didn’t fall over instead). 

When the class was over, Daisy grabbed Blake’s hand and started the line for Gwen to hand out stickers and snacks. Daisy picked out matching stickers for her and Blake, and stuck Blake’s on top of his hand before giving him a hug goodbye. Blake stayed in the studio and stepped aside from the crowds, finding himself leaning into the back barre, and looking out the window with his eyes catching on the fields behind the studio. He hadn’t even noticed when it was just him and Gwen alone again.

Gwen drew up silently beside him, her finger tracing up his arm as she cocked her head to the side.

“I think your skill level might be more suitable for _private_ lessons,” she mused, with a devilish smile. 

Blake chuckled. “So that’s what this is about, hmm? Are you makin’ up an excuse to be alone with me?” His body turned adjacent to hers. “Don’t tell me you were just checkin’ my posture.”

Gwen’s eyebrow raised as she scoffed, with a laugh. “Then don’t lie to me and say you were watching my _technique_ because you wanted to do it right.”

Blake’s back straightened a bit as he took a step towards her, his hands resting on the barre on each side of her, caging her against it. Their eyes were locked as he slightly bent to be at her eye level. Her back pressed against the barre, curved into it even, as she felt a wave of uncertainty and anticipation all at the same time. 

“Well I don’t know much about this, Gwen, but I’d say you do have excellent… _technique_.”

She couldn’t breathe with him like this, and with him being so close to her. Gwen had felt as if she had been on top of her game only moments before, and now she was compromised, and in his hands for whatever he wanted with her. She thought she had been imagining things, or maybe she was so lonely she was creating things in her head, but this was an undeniable truth hitting her in the face. He had her caged between him and a ballet barre, and there was absolutely no other place in the world that she wanted to be. 

He seemed to move in a bit closer, his lips moving to her ear. There was a slight, hot exhale against her skin, she had to press her lips together hard to contain herself. 

“So when’s our next lesson?” He asked softly. “Someone like you is probably in high demand.” He pulled back slightly for their eyes to meet again. 

_Fuck_ , she still wasn’t breathing. If she didn’t know better, her body was probably trembling. Anticipating him. Her hands gripped the barre in an effort to release the tension that had built up, but it was nearly useless as her entire existence was tense in those moments. 

He was moving closer to her, slowly, painfully slow, and she desperately wanted it. She wanted him. She wanted his arms around her, she wanted her arms around his neck, she wanted their lips to touch. She wanted to feel his body against hers and know what that was like. She imagined kissing him would send an electric shock through her body, and one she wouldn’t recover from anytime soon. 

A mere inch separated their lips before she realized she had put a stop to it. Her trembled hand was splayed and against his chest, holding him back. Her eyes widened as she let out a shaky, uncertain breath, worry suddenly displayed across her face. 

Blake pulled back a little bit, realizing what she was doing. Gwen’s face went from longing, to desperation, to frustration, all in five seconds. 

“I’m sorry,” they both said at the exact same time in an exhale. Blake’s arms fell to his side, and Gwen was embarrassed and frustrated with herself as she shook her head and walked past him abruptly. Her body was still on fire even as the distance grew between them. 

She didn’t even bother to grab her personal belongings as she was dead set to get out of that studio as soon as possible, the sound of the door slamming shut feeling like a slap in the face to the both of them.


	10. Fix

He felt like he had done something terribly wrong, he felt like he had completely screwed everything up. And he hated himself for it. 

He felt stuck in time - not realizing what time it was, but not having an inclination to go elsewhere. He didn’t want to go back to Marianne’s house, he didn’t have friends in California. Well, he had one friend, but he was pretty sure that was squandered in the dirt after what he pulled. 

He hated himself for messing everything up, but a small part of him beckoned. He knew in his heart of hearts that this… _thing_ with Gwen wasn’t one sided. He felt it in his bones, they she felt some sort of way. Was it attraction? Lust? Obsession? He’d always been fascinated by her, and knew that this wasn’t just someone near him that he wanted to use to get through a hard time. Gwen was so much more than that.

She always had been.

Casually slumped on the couch in his office, his eyes were on the ceiling as he tried to make a plan to get out of this mess. It all had to start with an apology to Gwen, but he was stuck on that. _Sorry I tried to kiss you_ was not exactly something Hallmark could help with, either. Also lacking in greeting card from was _I’ve actually never stopped crushing on you_ and _I misread the signs and stupidly thought you were feeling this, too_. 

——

It took her hours, and plenty of swigs from a flask to figure out what she was going to do. She hated herself, because she knew deep down that she wanted him, but she had stopped him. She had hurt him by doing so. Everything had just been fine between them, and she felt as if the first friend she had in a long time was going to disappear. She knew she was attracted to him, and she had to figure out why she did what she did. 

Her mind was jumbled, a lot of it didn’t make sense, but as soon as she took the seventh, or maybe eighth, swig from the flask, she was up, on her feet, and pushing the door into Blake’s office unannounced. 

“We should talk,” she announced almost deadpan, closing the door behind her. She walked right over to the couch he was lounging on, and upon her arrival, he sat up straight and moved to make room. His mouth was slightly agape as he watched her sit down, keeping a bit of distance, and she took another swig of her flask.

“Are you drunk?” He inquired softly, more of concern than anything else.

“Not yet,” she admitted. “But I’m fucking terrible at this, and this is the only hope I have right now to have a real conversation with you.” She took another swig, scrunching her face a bit as the harsh liquid burned down her throat. 

Blake calculated his next move slowly, not wanting to scare her away, but also trying to improve the situation. He watched her for a few minutes, as she mindlessly stared straight ahead. His movement was slow, his hand gentle as it rested over her hand that held the flask.

“C’mon, this isn’t the answer. Let’s try to find one together, without it,” he said delicately. Her eyes went down to his hand over hers, and she kept a stone faced composure. She gently loosened her grip, and allowed him to take it from her.

He screwed the flask shut and reached to place it on a table nearby. “I’m sorry I fucked everything up and made you uncomfortable today,” he said, settling back against the couch. 

“I’m not here for an apology, and you really shouldn’t be the one giving one,” she said with a shake of her head. “Take it back.”

“Why should I take it back?”

“Because I wanted you to do it.”

The silence fell between them, Blake in a state of shock, and Gwen in one of embarrassment, though hers was slightly dulled by the alcohol. 

“This is about the time I really wish I still had that flask in my hand,” she continued, delaying the inevitable. 

“I’m not going to get mad at you, or judge you, or whatever you think it is that I’m gonna do,” he responded. “I just…I want you to be honest with me.”

Gwen exhaled dramatically, her arms crossing herself protectively as she let her back also lean against the couch. Eyes straight forward, lip bitten. Suddenly, the words spilled out of her fast, all but jumbled together. 

“There’s this whole side of you that you haven’t shown to me,” she began quietly. “I feel like there are so many things I don’t know, and that you don’t want to talk about - which I get it, it’s your prerogative to not talk about things you don’t want to - but, I can’t, and without it this is fast, and I don’t know what to make of it. And I’m scared. I’ve opened up to you even though I didn’t plan to, and I let you see me. I feel like you’ve seen too much, and unfortunately my life can get so messy that it’s hard to conceal. But I can’t get hurt again by someone again who can’t do the same.”

“What do you want to know?” He beckoned her almost immediately. 

“No, this isn’t going to turn into you feeling obligated that you have to tell me whatever I want. I’m not entitled to it. And I’m not asking it of you.”

“Can you look at me please?”

She exhaled and kept her eyes in front of her for a few more moments, before obliging to turn her head towards him. 

“I have so much to say to you right now that I don’t even know where to start,” he sighed. “I was instantly drawn to you. No matter what year it’s been, how old we are, it happens every time,” he continued. “I’m not trying to hide myself from you, either. And, I get that you’re scared. You’re not the only one, I promise you that.”

He sighed, his train of thought stopping abruptly as he ran his hand through his hair. He snatched the flask he had just discarded on the table next to them, and took a drink.

“That’s not fair at all,” Gwen said, eyebrow raised.

“Just catchin’ up to you, and just one,” Blake responded, closing it and setting it back down further away from the both of them to make his point. His gaze when back to her. 

“I don’t like to worry people with my problems,” he began again. “I’ve never had someone else that I felt comfortable talking to, I mean, _really_ talking to. The worst feeling in the world to me is one of being a burden. And I like you too much to do that to you.”

She felt her cheeks blush pink at his admission. “You’re not a burden,” she responded timidly, her face cast in confusion. “Why would you think that’s how I saw you?”

“I don’t know, you’ve had to drop everything to help me lately. You’re grieving, probably even more than I am, and I’ve asked you to help me keep it all together in addition to keeping yourself together. I can’t even imagine putting more on you than I already have.”

“I can make those decisions for myself,” she responded, her body seemed to turn towards him more. “I need you to let me make those decisions for myself. I mean, you’re like this seemingly perfect guy that I feel has literally kept me from going insane since you got here, I don’t know how you do it, but there’s also this block and I don’t know what I’m missing.” She sighed. “And what about the future? I mean, is this what you want with your life? To run a ballet studio? Are you going to stick around and do this? Or are you going back to Nashville?”

She was going to keep going on that trail, he could tell, but his finger came up immediately and touched her lips in an attempt to cut her off. It worked, as she flashed him a confused gaze, her eyes narrowing in to try and look at his finger on her lips. _God, even his damn finger feels nice._

Blake let out a low, agonizing chuckle as he let his finger drop. “Darlin’, if I could only tell you, there’s nothing left for me in Nashville.”

“There must have been something there at some point,” she said softly. “And if not there, somewhere. You have to have a life somewhere.”

“Oh, there was a lot,” his eyes looked up to meet hers. “You kept askin’ me what happened the last ten years…”

“Blake, don’t do this…” Gwen cut him off. “Please, I’m going to feel even more awful. I’m not asking anymore…”

“…but I’m telling, because I trust my friend to listen, so listen up, because if you don’t, you’re gonna severely hurt of my chances of ever doing this talking thing again.”

She quieted and settled back, following his instruction.

“The short version is, I actually hit it big for a few years,” he chuckled, shaking his head as he recalled the memory. “I know you probably don’t know much about country music, but I had a career as an artist. Released three albums in four years. Toured everywhere. Played alongside some of the biggest names still to this day in country.”

The words coming out of Blake’s mouth were foreign to her, however the magnitude of what all of that meant was not lost on her. Her eyes widened, processing this information. She wanted so badly to speak, to react, but she bit her tongue in favor of him continuing.

“I met my ex-wife during that time, she’s also a country music artist. Met her at one of those industry parties and we were both on some list of hottest rising country stars or somethin’, I didn’t really pay attention to that stuff,” he shrugged. “Thought it was real. Dated for a while, married her before anyone else could get the chance. But it didn’t stop her from sleeping around. That’s one of the worst images burned into my memory that I wouldn’t wish on anyone.” He sighed. “So as to your question about why I quit coming around so often, I’d come out to see her when I could, but it was hard trying to make a rocky marriage work in between two tour schedules. I had to know at the end of the day that I did everything in my power to make it work. And, look at that, even with all of the effort, it still fell apart.”

She could tell this was hard for him, and she was getting that feeling of having to draw closer to him again. She didn’t want to interrupt, so instead, she moved right up next to him so that their legs touched, hooked her arm underneath his, and interlaced their fingers together. She squeezed, as if to encourage him to continue, despite her entire body wanting to burst with so many questions and reactions to this new information.

“I couldn’t write anymore after that. I quit music,” he explained. “I already had the vodka company, so I stepped out of the spotlight, put the guitar down, and focused on the business. And here we are, a few years later.”

Her head rested against his shoulder as she squeezed his arm, trying to give him some sort of reassurance. 

“Gwen, in the time I’ve been out here, I really never would have thought….” he began, but then shifted gears. “I told you I had a crush on you when we were younger. I never imagined that getting to know you, and working with you, it would feel like a spark of life in me again. And I don’t want to do anything to fuck that up. I don’t know where you stand in all of this, I can keep my distance a bit more if that’s what you need. But for the first time in three years, I picked up a guitar again the other night. And I have to think it has something to do with you. And I don’t know what the future holds, but where I’m coming from right now, the only thing I want to do is get to know you better. That’s all I know. It’s all I’ve known so certainly in a long time.”

She let the silence linger to allow him to continue if he wanted, but he seemed to be at a resting place. She felt it was safe to respond, but she handled it delicately. “I don’t think Marianne really understood how big of a deal you are,” she began. “Sure, she’d mention you and the fact that you played, but I always just imagined it was local, like a hobby or something. I really had no idea.” She let out a breath.

“Headlined and sold out _The Forum_ a few years back,” he offered her a small, sheepish grin.

“ _Blake!_ ” she practically squealed. “How did this not come up already??”

“It’s not my life anymore,” he explained simply. “I’m a country boy that owns a vodka company and now a ballet studio, don’t you think I’m busy enough?”

“I’m just getting the sense that it used to be really important to you. A big part of who you are.”

“It was,” he admitted. “But when it only serves to remind you of bad memories, it’s not fun anymore. I stopped because I wanted to, because I couldn’t strum a guitar and not feel empty.”

“That breaks my heart,” she whispered softly, not having any other words to say. She clung a little tighter to his arm in continuation of her trying her best to support him.

“You don’t need to give it another thought,” he said, with a slight nudge. “It’s the past, and I’m doin’ good, darlin’.” He paused, before adding, “I mean hell, I’m here with you, and even though these aren’t the best circumstances, I’m getting to know you. And I’ve wanted that for a lot longer than I care to admit.”

Her words were soft. “You don’t know what you’re trying to get into, here. I am a ticking time bomb of complication waiting to explode. You don’t want that, trust me.”

“Tell me why, then,” he challenged her. 

“I grew up straddling the line between having Marianne with a stable place to go and social workers with uncertainty,” she began. “I only turned out half decent because of her. And yet I still managed to fuck everything up. I got into a manipulative, abusive relationship and got pregnant. As soon as I had the baby, Gavin threw me out like trash. Got his family’s money to pay for the best lawyers to viciously attack me during a custody battle. It’s the kind of money you don’t mess around with, the kind that goes as far as to lying and creating fake drug problems and medical problems to present as evidence. And he won. So now I’m a senior citizen dancer living on my own in a tiny studio apartment I can barely afford most months, I don’t have a college education to fall back on, and my child that lives in England doesn’t even know me.” She sighed. “That’s what you’re getting into here, you’re getting into a lot of drama that you don’t deserve to be in. And besides, Blake, I am nowhere near those country music superstars you’re used to dating. Not even close.”

He hummed in consideration of her words, carefully crafting his rebuttal. 

“I don’t see it that way,” he dismissed. “I see a beautiful woman with an amazing, and giving heart. I see someone who is incredibly smart, doesn’t take anyone’s crap, and someone who knows how to be a damn good friend. I don’t need to date a _country music superstar_ …” He rolled his eyes, finding the absurdity in those words. “God, I don’t even want anything close to that.”

“What did I tell you about compliments, they’re not allowed,” she nudged him.

“Well, I’m not sorry for it.”

Silence fell again between them, and this time, it felt like a small eternity. Her gaze kept steady on their interlaced fingers, her other hand gently clasped to his forearm. Without warning, she looked up to him and caught his gaze - but she didn’t speak any words.

Slowly, she unlaced her hand from his. Her body turned, her left leg sliding across him to the other side as she straddled to sit on his lap. Their shared gaze was growing more intense by the minute, the electricity in her body starting to ignite. 

“What are you —“ the words fell from Blake’s mouth breathlessly, he wasn’t even able to get it out as his senses suddenly shocked. 

His hands rested on each of her hips as he watched her, allowing her the time to be comfortable and move at her own pace. Her delicate hand drew up to his jawline, her fingers traced along the edge as her head tilted to the side, watching herself do it. 

“Fixing a mistake,” she almost whispered, her eyes catching his as she spoke the words. “Last chance to back out.”

“Not a chance,” he responded weakly, a hint of hoarseness in his voice he hadn’t realized would be present. But then again, he couldn’t hold himself responsible for the way this woman effected him. It was impossible to control.

Her fingers went from tracing his jawline to sliding behind his neck, gently holding him as her other arm drew up around him and she leaned in towards him. His hands drew up from her hips to her back, pulling her in even more. And when she was ready, she placed a soft kiss upon his lips. 

It was the kind of kiss that was so gentle, you’d almost think you were imagining it only if your entire body hadn’t responded to it so dramatically. She kissed him again, now caught off guard with how suddenly obsessed she was with that feeling, needing it so much more than she ever could have imagined. 

His hand traced up her arm before his palm rested against her cheek, taking her as he deepened the kiss. He was careful to keep himself in check, because he knew if he had his way, he’d accelerate way too fast and risk scaring her off again. There was an underlying current that he could lose control if he wasn’t careful. The desire was certainly there, but at the same time, he wanted to savor it. He didn’t know which one he wanted more.

She straightened her back slightly as she broke off the final kiss, her forehead rested against his as she exhaled softly. Her hands fell from his neck to rest on his shoulders instead.

“Wow,” she whispered, the only word she could summon up in those first few moments. Blake tilted his head slightly up and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. 

“I’m still not sure what this means,” she said timidly, with that lip bite again that just made him want to grab her and do unspeakable things to her. He refrained, for now.

“S’okay,” he responded, letting out an exhale for what felt like the first time all evening. “I want you to be comfortable. We’ll go into this slowly, and, we’ll just…see what happens.”

Gwen nodded in agreement, straightened her back fully and slid her leg back behind her to stand up. Her legs felt shaky from the anticipation coursing like adrenaline through her veins.

“Good talk,” she quipped, a soft attempt at humor that soon had both awkwardly chuckling, yet still unable to break eye contact. “Goodnight, Blake.”

And with those final words, she turned on her heel and made her exit.


	11. Lust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok sooooo...I've gone slow long enough, I think, and these kids need to blow some steam off, so enjoy <3

He felt sore.

More than that, he felt ridiculous. He couldn’t fathom that a _kid’s_ ballet class kicked his ass like it did. Never did he think that agreeing to go along with Gwen’s little plan would make him feel like this. It hurt to sit, it hurt to move his arm, and the prescription level dose of ibuprofen was not exactly doing much.

He was temporarily distracted by his woes as a loud thudding knock came at his office door.

“Help please, quickly!” He heard Gwen’s faint voice plea, which caused him to quicken his steps to grab the door. She practically fell into the room box first, which he caught on reflex, likely preventing a complete tumble on her part. 

“Hi!” she greeted breathlessly, as she swung a full IKEA bag of more stuff he hadn’t seen originally higher up onto her shoulder.

“You come bearing gifts,” Blake joked, before lightly adding. “I mean, I know that kiss was really good, but this actually might be overkill.”

“Aren’t you a regular Cassanova,” she chuckled once, rolling her eyes. Blake set the box down on the ground near the couch, and automatically reached for the large blue back on her arm.

“It’s really heavy,” Gwen warned.

“You know, I was about to make a joke about my muscles maybe being a bit stronger than yours, but I suddenly don’t think this is the day to compare strengths with you,” he quipped, and hoisted the bag off of her arm. “Jesus, what do you have in here, bricks?” He soon discarded it next to the other box full of things she had carried in. 

“Gala materials,” she clarified. “They were delivered and sitting in the lobby, I thought we should look through them together.”

“Next time, come get me, I’ll help you,” he said, as he walked a bit funny towards the couch, and gently lowered himself onto it, doing his best to keep his cool. 

“You look like a lot of help,” she observed, head tilting to the side. “A little sore, I see.”

Blake shook his head and dismissed it. “I’m fine, darlin’, just a little stiff.” Like hell he was going to show some weakness like that from a stupid _kid’s ballet class_. 

“Stiff,” she repeated, nodding as she said the word and trying her best to contain the smile that threatened to break. She pressed her lips together. Instead of walking towards him to look at the materials, she started sauntering around the room - just pretending to look here and there. She came over to Marianne’s glass desk and ran her finger along it, glancing back towards Blake as he just watched her with interest. Her finger was at the edge of the desk when her eyes fell on a soft, plush mini basketball. Something she assumed Blake had brought in because Marianne would _never_ have something like that.

“Blake, catch quick!” she scooped up the toy and chucked it at him, both of his arms reacting fast to reflex to catch the ball suddenly hurling at his face. A two second delay in reaction, as the pain was realized and settled in. 

“Aaagghhhh!” He exclaimed, unable to hide it anymore.

The laugh that erupted from her body was sweet and gentle, and yet filled with so much pity for him. She frowned through her smile and soon joined him on the couch. 

“Don’t lie to me, Blake, I’ll always get the truth,” she grinned softly. 

He huffed. “Fine. I’m sore. I’m REALLY sore,” he emphasized. “My body is on fire from a stupid kid’s dance class and if I’m less of a man because of it, so be it.”

“Awww,” she chuckled as the response came naturally. 

“I didn’t want you to know how much this sucks,” he chuckled right along with her now, that damn sheepish grin now plastered on his face again. 

“Between my foot injury and your…entire body injury…this right here is an interesting duo,” she remarked. A small smile settled on her face as the laughter died away. Her head tilted slightly, looking at him. 

“Where does it hurt?” She inquired. The intention within her eyes was far from innocent, no matter how sweetly it was portrayed.

“Literally everywhere,” he sighed.

“Hmm,” her eyes fell from his, gaze now on his bicep. Her finger drew up, and started drawing small, random patterns against his skin.

“Here?” She asked, her eyes flashing up to catch his gaze.

He had to focus for a moment to control his own heartbeat, lest it get out of control. 

“Mmhmm,” he nodded, just continuing to watch. Her finger drew up to his shoulder - her finger now tracing patterns between shoulder and the base of his neck.

“Here?” she asked again, the same pattern. Jesus, the pattern alone might kill him. She’d keep her eyes on her finger tracing her skin, and look up once to ask the question, wouldn’t look away until she got the answer, then would do so immediately. 

His skin flinched under her touch, as she went over a small and sensitive area at the collarbone. 

“Yes,” he admitted. He swallowed, and just focused on the anticipation of where, exactly, she was going to go next. 

Her palm rested on his shoulder and she let it slide down his torso slowly, swerving to the left before sliding down further to rest on the top of his thigh. He thought he was going to explode as she did it again - head tilt, locked eyes, and that damned question…

“What about here?” Her finger began to trace again, slower, and its proximity was the most dangerous. Her eyes were locked on him, demanding another response.

“That’s even worse,” he all but groaned, but his pain was entirely different now than the one he had woken up with that morning. 

She repositioned herself swiftly on the couch, now on her knees and sitting back on her legs, her touch never leaving him. She gave him a bit of an exasperated pout, as she let him suffer a little bit in his growing anticipation. And when the time was right, her finger drew up to the top of his thigh and crossed his body to the other thing, _fucking millimeters_ away from where he _actually_ wanted her to go. 

She was leaning forward a bit now, hovering almost, as her finger traced and she repeated the pattern. Head tilt, but this time a devilish smile, and the same kind of question.

“What about this one?” She inquired. Eyes locked. _Fuck._

“Yes,” he said roughly, and when her gaze fell again, his went to her body partially perched and leaning over him. His hands tightened into fists, willing his control.

Her finger turned back to a palm, and his eyes widened as she bent completely over his lap, one arm resting on the arm rest of the couch as her body stretched long across him, propping herself up. Her ass was in the air, fuck, she knew exactly what she was doing to him. Palm turned to finger and it traced back up, her body twisted slightly towards him as her circles began on the opposite shoulder. Head tilt, locked gaze, another fucking question…

“How does this one feel?”

“ _Gwen_ ,” he said roughly. 

“What?” the innocence in her voice could have pushed him off a cliff. 

“Fire. You’re playing with it,” he gritted out. “I think you have about ten seconds.”

“Ten seconds? But for what?”

“Until I can’t stop.”

“Stop what?”

His patience was depleted. His hands grabbed her ass and forced her legs open to straddle his lap in one swift, hard motion, her center right up against his growing erection. She squealed and laughed at the sudden surprise before their lips crashed on one another. Her arms flew around his neck his ease, his hands grabbing roughly at her hips. She was rocking forward, not even realizing it, not even being fully aware of the additional stimulation against her core that she was trying to establish a rhythm against as they roughly made out. 

She tugged at his shirt, ripping her mouth off of his only for the few moments it took to get it off over his head. As soon as the fabric left her hand from discarding it to the side, both of her hands grabbed the hem of her own shirt, and a second later it met the same fate. 

Blake’s head dipped down to her neck, kissing roughly, his hands gripping her tight. His teeth tugged at her bra strap, forcing it down her shoulder.

“Get this off,” he almost growled, and it caused Gwen to almost let out a gasp in surprise. Her opposite arm snaked around her back, desperately tugging at the clasp.

It almost didn’t matter, though, because Blake had already flicked the cup down, her breast fully exposed to him. He took it into his mouth immediately, his hand grabbing the opposite bra strap and yanking it down to match. Gwen was breathing heavy and her arm dropped by her side, unable to focus on the fucking clasp, instead needing to brace herself on him. Her hand gripped his shoulder, and she could have jumped and hit the ceiling as his mouth moved from one breast to the next. He had a tight enough hold on her that wouldn’t allow that to happen.

“Holy fuck,” was all she could manage. He continued, and a moment later, flipped her to the side and onto her back on the couch, his body laying on top of hers and giving her the pressure at her core that she needed. 

Her legs were gripping him hard, trying to force his erection harder against her. Her body was trembling and begging for relief. “Blake,” she could barely manage, it fell so softly from her lips.

Blake moved up and kissed her roughly, and it sparked her back to life. She returned the force, her hands gripping the back of his neck to keep him there with her. Gradually, their kisses grew slower, softer. They both seemed to be gasping for air, and when it got to be too much, they slumped over. Blake was laying on top of her, his chest rising and falling at the same rhythm hers was. He rest his head against her bare chest as they both tried to breathe normally again.

Her fingers gently found their way into his curls, playing with them gently as her eyes fixed on the ceiling. He adjusted his head slightly, which caused Gwen to squeal and wiggle under him.

“What?” He asked, with a laugh. 

“Your hair tickles, don’t move it.”

He couldn’t help but start laughing more, and pulled up to rest his chin on her chest instead so that he could look at her with curious eyes. “Don’t move my hair?”

She giggled and shook her head. “Don’t move it.”

“What, exactly, did it tickle?”

“Dunno,” she shrugged with a grin. It was an obvious lie. 

“Don’t lie to _me_ , Gwen,” he said, playing off of her earlier command. “I have all the power to torture you right now. I have you pinned down, and exactly where I need you.” His finger traced slowly up her chest, gently brushing atop one of her erect nipples. Her body writhed and jerked under him.

“I don’t think that’s very fair,” she huffed. He did it again, and she squirmed against his hold.

“You weren’t fair at all earlier, I don’t want to hear that.”

His finger went back up to repeat the same motion, and he could tell she was trying to contain her reaction. It only made it worse for her, though, as his finger moved across her chest to tease the other as well. He felt her body tense, trying to contain itself, right before she started to writhe again under him.

“Blaaaaake,” she whined. 

“I think this is totally fair right now,” he countered her obvious, unspoken argument, as he moved his finger across her body again, lightly brushing…

The sound of the office door flying open caused both of them to jump. On instinct, Blake released her and jumped to his feet, still shirtless, making a straight beeline for the door, and trying to use his frame to give Gwen some time to cover herself.

“Blake, I think we REALLY need to talk about these candidates…” an accent that made Gwen feel ill, and one Blake had already learned to recognize immediately. 

“Excuse me, but does anyone knock around here?” He asked annoyed, as his eyes fell on none other than Brett. 

“Oh dear god, I’m sorry,” Brett gasped, seeing that Blake was shirtless. “You should put on your shirt for this though, this might take —“

Brett’s words cut off, seeing Gwen sitting on the couch. His head tilted as he observed her - she had managed to get her bra and shirt on, but the slightly disheveled ballet bun was a dead give away. And also…

“Your shirt’s on backwards,” he taunted her, with a bit of a cackle. He turned back to Blake.

“Well I _guess_ I’ll just be leaving these on your desk for when you’re not otherwise…” he glanced to Gwen. “ _Preoccupied_.”

“Door’s right there,” he said stiffly, with mild annoyance but uncertainty in his obvious hostility towards Gwen. He knew they were work rivals, but it almost seemed personal to him. Brett sauntered out the door and Blake promptly closed it behind him. 

Gwen’s head was in her hands when he looked back over to her.

“You alright?” he asked, closing the distance between them. He sat down next to her, his hand gently on her back. She didn’t respond, and he gently shook her a little. “Talk to me. What’s up?”

She sat up, her arms crossing the front of her as she kept her gaze ahead. Her breathing was a bit ragged, as if she was trying to contain herself.

“We don’t have to do that again, if that’s what…”

“No,” she cut him off. “It’s not that.” She exhaled dramatically and shut her eyes tight. She opened them, and looked directly at Blake. 

“He’s Gavin’s best friend,” she said quietly, eyes then casting down. “I just want to avoid the drama with him, that’s all.”

“Do all the annoying accents hang out together?” He asked. “And why would he care who you’re dating?”

She started laughing at his first inquiry before her eyes popped back to him immediately, a sly, curious smile resting on her features. “Oh is that what we’re doing?” she was challenging him with a smile, and the dynamics shifted as he tried to think his way out of this one.

“Uhhh…” he began, but gave up and shrugged, offering her a sheepish smile instead. 

Gwen let out a chuckle, and he suddenly didn’t feel so weird about saying it. She let her head rest against him, and his arm came fully around her. She brought her legs up onto the couch and into her chest. 

“Anything he can torture me with or make a big deal out of, he will,” she said deftly. “He thrives on the drama. It’s like he didn’t get enough when he got full custody, he always wants to take away more. It’s punishment for leaving him.”

“Want me to kick his British ass?”

She looked up to him. “You need to be careful with him,” she warned. “I’m not talking about a physical fight, I’m talking about the fact that he’s basically a mobster and will use all of his family’s money to make your life hell. You can’t cross him. You will spend more time suffering paying that back than you can ever imagine.”

“You’re still scared of him,” he observed. 

“Just keep your distance, as much as you can,” she deflected. “Please.”

“Hmm,” he responded, making sure to not make that promise one way or another.

“We can go through these later,” she said, motioning to the promotional materials. “You guys are on a tight deadline with Kiwi’s candidates, even though he’s a complete asshole, you should get that out of the way.” She nudged him slightly before standing up. 

“Okay,” he agreed. “I uh, have something I need to give to you, before you go.”

“Oh?”

Blake walked over to the glass desk, reaching down to the top side drawer, retrieving an envelope. He began walking back towards Gwen as he spoke. “I was going through the desk drawers the other day and I found this.” He presented a cream colored envelope to her, with her name written in cursive across the front. 

She immediately recognized the handwriting. 

“It’s sealed. I didn’t open it, I’m not sure what it is, but she obviously wanted you to have it.”

She took the envelope from his hand, and just stared at the handwriting as if she had seen a ghost. 

“Thanks, Blake,” she managed quietly, only pulling her eyes away to look up at him as he pecked a quick kiss on the top of her head. 

“Come by around lunch time? We can order in and go through the gala materials?”

“Yeah, lunch, see you then.”

Distracted, she dipped out of his office, and disappeared into her own.


	12. Reasoning

She took a breath before she knocked.

It was around 1:30 PM, and though she had gone to this office many times before, she felt a little off as she went this time. Maybe it was because she was still uncertain of Blake’s intentions, maybe because she always psyched herself out about everything and this was a product of it.

“It’s open!” she heard Blake call, which was her cue to enter. 

“Hi,” she said, almost nervously. Her eyes fell upon Blake sitting on the floor, back against the couch, legs stretched out as he juggled a laptop and various documents. 

He looked over the top of his glasses and offered her a grin. “Good, it’s you.” He was instantly intrigued, seeing that she had changed her clothes since he last saw her. She was in a midriff bearing spaghetti strap tank top, a pair of joggers loosely tied on her hips. Her normal ballet bun was replaced by her blonde locks gently secured in a ponytail on one shoulder.

Gwen held up the take out bag she had in her hand, using the other to close the door behind her. “I brought Thai,” she began. “That is, if you still wanted to do this…”

“Of course I do, come on, come over,” he said immediately, moving a few things out of the way so that she could sit next to him. She did so, and began to pull the to-go containers out of the bag in silence. He watched her for a moment.

“I like you hair like that,” he complimented her. 

Gwen couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’ll remember that,” she deflected. 

“I get it, the ballet bun all the time, it’s your job,” he responded. “But I like seeing you like this.”

“Blake…” she began.

He sighed. “You don’t have to say it.”

“No,” she dismissed, looking up to him. “I don’t have any regrets. I just, want to say some things. They’re not bad things. They’re just, _I want you to know_ things.”

“Okay,” he said with a nod.

“It’s been a really long time since I’ve felt like this,” she began. “Literally years, actually. And I’m not trying to be dramatic or make this huge deal out of it, and even before you went to kiss me in that studio, I was already thinking about it too. And then when we really did kiss, I mean, wow, all of the time I had spent thinking about it before doubled. I thought about it all night. And when I saw you, when I was near you again, I just wanted to be with you. I don’t regret that, but if you do, then I’m asking that you let me know.”

She handed him a pair of chopsticks and she exhaled, waiting for his answer. She opened her own pair and prepped them in the silence.

“I don’t regret anything at all,” Blake said confidently. “I said we’d see where things go and well, they went there, but if we both enjoyed it and wanted to do it, then I don’t see a problem with it.” He paused, before continuing. “It doesn’t mean that we have to change what we’re doing. We can still go slow. If our version of slow includes some detours, then so be it. You’re not going to scare me away.”

“It’s almost difficult being in a room alone with you right now,” she admitted, with a shy smile as her cheeks lightly turned pink. “I’m drawn to you. It’s scary, but I can’t stop, and it’s like, hard not to touch you.” She laughed and shook her head. “I sound like an idiot. Talk about being starving for love.”

He couldn’t help but laugh along with her a bit, as he prepared to admit his own truth. “I feel the same. It’s hard being this close to you and not touching you.”

They hadn’t realized they were both leaning into each other closer now, even though they still weren’t touching.

“Touching doesn’t seem like it has to be _completely_ off limits,” she reasoned. 

His eyes were locked into hers now, one hand reaching out and stroking her arm lightly. “We just need to be careful to not get carried away too often.” She stifled a shiver. 

“We do have a lot of work to do before this gala,” she said. “And it sounds like we are each other’s worst distractions for that.”

“But we have to work together, cause Gwen, I’m up a creek if you don’t help me with all of this.”

They both seemed to agree on this, as the silence fell again for a few moments. 

“Go on a date with me tonight,” Blake said suddenly.

“What?” she responded with a singular laugh, confused at the sudden shift in conversation.

“Two things right now that I’m thinking,” he began to explain. “One, it gives us a chance to put all of this stuff down and get to know each other more, which is something I think we both want. Two, it gives us something to look forward to, time spent together without having to impose rules just to get through the day.”

“Okay,” she agreed, but soon after she bit her lip before looking to him. “But you’re not saying we literally can’t touch one another _all day_ , right?”

Blake reached forward, taking the Thai food out of her hands and placing it to the side. His hands went to her hips, easily tugging and pulling her to sit on his leg. Gwen watched his movements with such interest, and her eyes burned into his as soon as they were face to face, a wry smile tugging at the edges of her lips. 

“Not completely, no,” he agreed. “We just need to keep ourselves in check.” His hand stroked her silky blonde locks. “And maybe it wouldn’t hurt if you wore a full shirt for our meetings,” he chuckled.

“You don’t like my shirts?” Her eyebrow raised as a smile came across her face. 

“I love them, but damn, it’s even harder to keep my hands to myself,” he chuckled and grinned. 

“I think I’ll keep my shirts,” she pondered. “You might have to just work a bit harder at containing yourself.”

She pecked a sweet kiss against his lips and went to move away, but his hands caught her before she could. He moved in and kissed her again, longer this time. 

“Last one, I swear,” he said cheekily, and she laughed as she kissed him quickly on the nose and settled to sit beside him, instead of on top of him. 

“Where are we at?” she asked.

“The materials you brought in this morning, I haven’t opened them yet,” he began. “I’ve just been going through some of these guests, trying to do research and figure out who they are. I have no idea how I’m going to remember all of them.”

“That’s good that you’re studying,” she obviously approved, cocking her head towards him to look at his laptop. “That’s a beast of a list, but don’t get too obsessed with it. I’m going to be with you all night, I know all of these people. I can prompt you.” She crawled a few feet away from them and dragged one of the boxes over in front of them, and started fiddling with the tape. When she couldn’t get it in the first few tries, Blake pulled out his pocket knife and carefully sliced it open. “Thanks,” she said, before opening the contents. 

Gwen pulled back the tissue on top and revealed a stack of programs. She pulled the top one up to look at it. Blake leaned in a bit to do the same.

“That’s you,” he said, almost proudly. It was indeed a picture of Gwen en pointe, in a high arabesque. 

“We weren’t able to change the art work before it went to print,” she said, turning the program open to the first page to proofread it.

“Why would we want to change the artwork?” He asked, reaching for his own copy. “This picture is stunning.”

“I made the decision to not dance in the gala performance,” she said simply. “That means my understudy takes my place, and she should have been featured in this. It’s her time to shine.”

“Why aren’t you dancing?” He asked. 

“You need me more,” she explained. “It’s fine, I haven’t even been cleared to rehearse. Darla’s not letting me. So I made a decision that was in the best interest of the company - my night will be focused on you, and it gives someone else a chance at the lead role and doesn’t hold up their preparations. It’s better they start rehearsing now without any unknowns, so I took myself out of the equation.”

“But you love to dance,” he pushed delicately. 

“I’ve had years of dances,” she sighed. “And I’ve danced _A Midsummer Night’s Dream_ more than I can count. I’ll be okay. I need to get used to this anyways.”

“Used to…?”

“Not being the dancer. Remember? I’m old.” She nudged him. “Now hush and look through the program with me please.”

“Yes ma’am.” _Damn, there was still something about how he said those words to her._

A few moments passed, before he broke the command.

“Gwen I don’t know French, you know that right?”

She chuckled. “Just focus on the English words, please, I’ll take the French.”

Blake turned another page. “Ugh, who put him in here?” His eyes rolled as there was a picture of Gavin on the corner of the page. 

“Takes a rich asshole to attract rich assholes that want to pour money into a dance company,” she said. “And we have the biggest rich asshole on staff to help do that. Unfortunately, he’s a big selling point for some people. You were wondering why Marianne didn’t get rid of him when she could, and that’s why. He’s good for business.”

“Can he even dance good?” Blake asked.

“Well, not as good as you,” she shot him a look, and a moment later they were both hysterically laughing. 

“We’re going to forget that it ever happened,” Blake said, still laughing, hand over his face. 

“No way, that was my favorite view of you to date,” Gwen managed through her own laughing. “Like I said, ballet is in your blood, Shelton.”

“There were a _lot_ of good views that day,” he offered her a grin as soon as she shot him a look.

“You’re impossible,” she emphasized, but couldn’t help but laugh along with him, too hesitant to take that one further. That was definitely a path that was dangerous to go down at the moment. 

They both settled a bit as they went back to reading through the programs at their own pace. Once Gwen got to the end she closed hers shut, placing it back int the box. She reached into the box and pulled out another flier to look at it.

Blake watched her, his eyes not on his program anymore as he battled his will internally. Something was on his mind and he wanted to bring it up, but didn’t know if he should. Eventually, he forced himself to speak up.

“I’ve been dying to ask…” he began. “The note I found. Did you open it?”

Gwen froze, her body and demeanor obviously changing in reaction to his question. The silence was maddening as she let it drag on. “No,” she answered simply.

“Sorry I brought it up,” Blake said softly. 

Gwen just shook her head and mumbled a “Fine,” before he plopped the program shut and back into the box with the rest, quickly changing the subject. “So far as the English words are concerned, everything looks just fine to me. These are great, you did a great job on them.”

“Thanks,” she responded, taking the diversion of topic to get as far away from the last one as possible. She reached over to the large bag sitting nearby that held other materials, and plucked two folders out of it, handing one to Blake. “We should go over the schedule - starting a week out. Are you ready?”

“Fire away,” he responded, flipping it open to follow along.


	13. Properly

She found it a bit funny, but as soon as Blake insisted that she go home and simply _wait_ there for him to pick her up from her apartment for their date, she couldn’t help but giggle at him.

Blake said he wanted to do this _properly_ , and according to him, a man picked a woman up from her home to take her out for the evening. The formality was a bit silly to her, but she obliged, as she soon realized she didn’t exactly know the _proper_ way any of this went. She hadn’t exactly had that luxury of experience, and it seemed to make Blake content when she agreed to listen. 

So there she was - standing in front of her full length mirror, tugging at the hem of her strapless sundress. That was another thing that Blake hadn’t been totally clear on - attire. He said to wear something casual, and Gwen had nearly gone out of her mind trying to figure out exactly where they were going, and what would be best. She was reaching behind her neck holding both ends of an unclasped necklace as there was a knock at the door, her legs quickly carrying her over to open in just a few strides.

She opened the door and was about to say something before she stopped her next thought, her eyes falling on Blake. It brought a small smile to her face as she looked him over, standing tall and confidently in her door frame, holding a small bouquet of sunflowers. He flashed a grin.

“Oh my god,” was all she could say.

“I hope you like sunflowers,” he said, moving forward to hand them to her. She took hold of them with her free hand, the other still holding the loose ends of the necklace behind her. “Want some help?” He motioned to her necklace.

“Sure,” she said softly, allowing him to take the ends from her. She looked down at the sunflowers in her arms as he fiddled with the clasp. “These are so beautiful, you didn’t have to.”

“In addition to a man properly picking up a woman to take her out for the evening, a real man doesn’t come empty handed,” he said. His hands rested gently on her bare shoulders for a moment once he clasped her necklace together. 

“Something tells me you’re going to teach me a lot of this _proper dating_ stuff,” she said with a chuckle. She turned to him, beaming up at him. “Thank you. Really, they’re incredible.” She paused. “I’m going to put them in some water.” 

She turned to make her way to the cabinet for a container to put them in, then a few steps away to the sink once she found something. Blake took a few steps into the small studio apartment after closing the front door behind him. 

“So this is where you live,” he observed, still looking around. His attention drew up to the skylights in the ceiling, then down to the reading nook in the corner window. It was small, but perfect in it’s own way. Artwork that seemed to be all ballet themed adorned the walls - which of course did not surprise him. 

“Yeah,” she said, shutting off the water once the container had enough. “It’s not a lot, but it’s home. Sometimes secondary to that office of mine.”

“I like it,” he affirmed. 

She offered him a smile as she came towards him, setting the sunflowers on the small coffee table in front of the couch. The flowers instantly lit up the room. He was about to say something else, but his attention caught onto something familiar hanging on the wall. He walked towards a photograph, one that only took him a moment to place.

“Marianne has this photo of you two on the wall in her house,” Blake explained. He felt as if there was a deeper meaning to it, and he felt like it was confirmed now that he was seeing it in Gwen’s house, too. 

She came to stand next to him, her eyes resting on the photo. She was in the studio, a huge smile on both hers and Marianne’s features with both high leg extensions in the air. 

“Mmm…” was all she responded at first, taking it in. “That’s the day she hired me as a principal,” she explained, a sad smile coming to her features in that moment. “She went so overboard that day.” She couldn’t help but laugh at the memory.

“Marianne went overboard a lot,” Blake chimed in with a small smile.

“She ordered me a cake, organized a celebration, we drank wine for a while. Dancers are usually lightweights, so it didn’t take long before we were all challenging each other to stupid little competitions. Marianne was hard to get to dance even though it was her soul, and she hopped right up to that barre with a few glasses in her and challenged me to the highest leg extension. Of course she won, even without dancing she never lost her skill. We were both a little tipsy in that picture.”

“Thank you for sharing that with me,” Blake responded eventually. He kept his eye on her and she seemed to slowly fade into her thoughts. In an attempt to not let her get too lost in them, Blake’s hand went to hers and tugged her towards him and enveloped her into a hug.

She exhaled as soon as she felt the embrace, her arms going around his torso and her cheek against his chest.

“You never really know how much people mean to you until they’re gone,” she said quietly. “Not truly.” A few moments passed and she stood up straight, swiped at her eye and smiled up at Blake. “Come on cowboy, lets go before I ruin our night,” she laughed a little to ease the mood. 

“Not possible,” he nudged at her, but took the hint.

“Where are we going, anyways?”

———

Even after they had been in the car for ten minutes, Gwen still couldn’t fathom a guess where they were off to, and Blake was being all mysterious about it. Her curiosity instantly skyrocketed as they seemed to be leaving Anaheim city limits altogether. 

“What are you up to, Shelton?” she teased him a little, still impatiently wanting to know where they were going. 

“Just relax, enjoy the ride,” he said with a grin.

“Isn’t that what serial killers tell their victims after they lure them into cars in those horror movies?” she asked sweetly, trying to make a point, and trying to convince him to give something up.

Blake chuckled. “Is that what you think? I brought you out here to murder you?”

“Mmm, no,” she dismissed. “I mean, I hope you brought me out to wherever we’re going to do _other_ things…”

“ _Other things_ can be arranged,” he grinned, but kept his eye on the road in front of them. She settled back in her seat, watching the scenery pass as Blake seemed dead set to not tell her anything at this point. 

Before she knew it, he pulled into a valet station, someone quickly coming by to open her door for her. 

“Oh,” she said, a bit startled. She unbuckled herself and smiled shyly up to the valet. “Thank you.” She inhaled - it was a familiar scent of saltwater in the air. A moment later, Blake was by her side and taking her hand, escorting her inside what appeared to be a dimly lit, but gorgeously expensive looking establishment. 

He led them up to a small hostess booth and asked to look up their reservations, the hostess stepping away for a moment before proceeding. Gwen looked at him from the side.

“ _Blake_ ,” she said quietly. “This is too much. Really. I would be just as happy hitting up a churro cart down by the beach.”

“You haven’t even seen where we’re going,” he smiled and shrugged. The hostess came back to retrieve them, and they began their walk through the ritzy restaurant bar. Gwen eyed every open table along the way, wondering where they would end up, but seemed curious as the hostess opened the door out the back to walk onto a small, private patio. 

There was a table for two set up, candles lit, and one of the most incredible ocean sunset views she had probably ever seen in her entire life, despite being a California girl. 

“Wow,” was all she said. She looked around the small patio and then back to Blake. “We have our own patio?”

“What do you think? Is this alright?” he asked, a hit of nerves showing. 

Gwen walked up to the wood railing, resting her arms there as she took in the view. He came to stand beside her, and she looked up to him with a huge smile. “How could this _not_ be alright?” she practically laughed at the question. “I mean, do you see this?” She gestured out to their view. 

“Sorry to interrupt, but would the gentleman or lady care for a glass of wine this evening?”

They both turned back to look at the waiter standing at their table, eagerly awaiting instruction. Gwen looked up to Blake, defaulting to let him take the lead.

“Yes, I think we’d like that very much,” Blake agreed, turning to Gwen. “Anything in particular?”

“I trust you to pick,” she said. Blake snatched up the wine menu and looked over it briefly, before sending the waiter off to retrieve wine and a cheese board. 

“And you said you didn’t know any French words,” Gwen teased. Blake pulled her chair out for her and she giggled a little as she sat down, Blake doing the same a moment later. 

“Maybe just a few,” he smiled, and fidgeted. Gwen seemed to notice a slight change in him, and she took a few moments to choose her words carefully in response.

“You seem nervous,” she said, almost conveying a hint of concern. He sat up a little straighter and offered her a smile before she could continue on that train of thought. 

“I am,” he admitted, with a laugh. “I’m sitting here with you, it’s something I’ve wanted for a long time and I hope that all of this really is something you like.”

“You don’t need to be worried about that,” she said. “This is incredible, how can you not see that?”

“Not everyone is as easy to please, I guess.”

The waiter came back outside with their wine in hand, presenting it to Blake, to which he nodded. He poured both glasses and moved to the side, as waitress brought out the accompanying cheese board. Gwen held up her wine glass as soon as they were alone again.

“To being easy to please,” she toasted, gently clinking her glass against Blake’s. They both seemed to get caught in a smiling war with one another, Gwen soon relenting as she only took a small sip of wine before setting it down to start snacking on the cheese. 

“Do you like the wine?” He asked. “Because if you don’t, we can get you another —“

“Relaaaaaaax,” she said, with a small giggle. She reached out to take his hand into hers. “The wine is great. But I know better than to drink on an empty stomach. You don’t want that Gwen, trust me.” She plopped another cheese cube in her mouth and smiled at him.

“I want all of the Gwens,” he corrected her. 

She couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, we’ll save that Gwen for another time, trust me.”

Her eye caught behind him, realizing something she hadn’t seen before. It was a small patio couch and accompanying table pushed back in the corner. She sat her wine glass down and smiled, standing suddenly. “I think I know exactly what we need.” She walked over, and started tugging the patio couch closer to the railing. Blake smiled watching her for a moment before getting up to help her with it. Gwen let go, letting him do the rest as she gently pushed their table and chairs to the other side to make room. Blake grabbed the small table and brought it over, and Gwen grabbed both of their wine glasses before going back for the cheese board. Blake took a seat, seeming to be more at ease as soon as Gwen joined him. She pulled her legs up onto the couch and reached for her wine. 

“See? You’re already more relaxed like this,” she said with a nudge. She let herself stay slightly leaning against him, looking up to him with those doe eyes he couldn’t tear himself away from.

“Alright, you caught me, I tried to be fancier than I am but really, I’m just an Oklahoma cowboy that knows the name of one good wine,” he chuckled. 

“You’re a lot more than that,” she countered. She paused, before changing the subject, seemingly hesitant to do so. “Can I ask you about something?”

“Of course,” he responded.

Gwen took a long sip of her wine, contemplating as the liquid poured down her throat. “She never talked about her family,” she said quietly, obviously referring to Marianne. “I know she has a large family, but you were the only one she ever said anything about. I think the only one that really talked to her.” She paused again. “Why is that?”

Blake hummed, acknowledging the question. “Just some complicated backstory where one of her children - my uncle - got married to a psychopath for his second marriage and the girl had it out for her. There was always some sort of drama, she was somehow convinced that Marianne was trying to take her children away from her and turn them against her or something.” He sighed. “I never understood it, because Marianne’s been far away from the family for a while because of her dancing, and then her ballet company. If someone wanted to do something awful like stealing your own children, you’d think they would be around more to actually try. That woman is an idiot, but unfortunately she caused a lot of issues over the years. It’s a miracle that I was able to maintain a relationship with Marianne, but I like to think I give people a chance on their own merit.”

“It’s one of my favorite qualities about you,” Gwen chimed in. “That, and not holding your first day against me.”

“Yeah, you were terrifying,” he admitted with a laugh.

“I was upset, and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”

“Please, that’s so far behind us,” Blake brushed it off, taking a sip of his wine. His arm went around her shoulders and he squeezed gently. “I mean, look where we are now.”

Their gazes went out to the water, the sun seeming to set rapidly in those moments. For a while, they drank their wine and picked at the cheeseboard in silence, just enjoying each other’s company. The waiter came a few times to check on them, offering refills, and eventually, dessert. 

“Actually, I’ve got my eye on that churro cart down there for dessert, if that’s ok with you,” Blake nudged at her. 

She couldn’t help but laugh as her eyes went wide with excitement. “ _Yes_ ,” she said, grinning ear to ear. 

——

The rest of the night was comfortable, which surprised her in some ways. Blake had always been this person she knew of, but didn’t necessarily know deep, but it was so easy to change that. He was open and honest with her, he even admitted he was nervous, and before he had ever even mentioned the possibility of churros and a short walk on the beach, she knew she was drawn to him even more. Nobody had ever been like this to her, but she was careful to not get used to it too fast. She knew deep down there was a possibility this could all end on circumstance, but she just couldn’t help herself. 

And she didn’t hesitate pressing his back up against the pier, hidden under the shadows of the looming night as she pushed up onto her toes to give him a long, sensual kiss. 

The ride back into Anaheim was quiet, albeit comfortable. Blake kept her hand in his the entire way, rested on her thigh. He went back and forth between his thumb lightly tracing the inside of her palm, to interlacing their fingers, or responding to whatever Gwen was tracing or doing with his hand in the moment. 

Soon, they pulled up to Gwen’s complex. 

“So,” was all she said, her eyes drifting to Blake as soon as the car went into park. “Do you want to…?”

Blake laughed nervously, looking at her from the side as he sighed, his hand running through his curls. “I’m not sure if that’s a good idea,” he started. “It’s not that I don’t want to, I mean god, _I want to_ …” he made sure to emphasize the last part. Her eyes fell to her lap. “Despite our uncontrollable make out the other day, I don’t want to go too fast, here.”

Gwen hummed. She felt slightly disappointed and it seemed to show on her face. 

“Hey,” he said, reaching out for her hand. “I’m serious. I know I’m a complete idiot right now, literally guys would _pay_ a lot of money to get this chance with you…”

“Maybe you’re right,” she said with a shrug, though she didn’t seem convinced. 

He paused, the silence was killing him. “Are you sure?”

She wasn’t responding to him, and instead went to unbuckle her seatbelt. 

“Have a good night, Blake. Thank you for the date,” she said quaintly, reaching over to peck a quick kiss on his cheek, and exiting the car a few moments later.

Blake was stunned, but immediately his hand went to the keys in the ignition and turned the car off. She was walking in long strides towards the stairs, and soon the sound of his car door shutting startled her as she continued to walk.

“Hey! Gwen, wait,” he said desperately, panic settling in that he had said the wrong thing. He didn’t have to chase after her, at least she stopped and turned when he called out to her. Gwen’s face seemed to be more stoic than relaxed. “I said something wrong, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“I’m not upset. I’m just taking a step back, here,” she clarified. 

“A step back?”

“Blake, I’ve tried to ignore this even as it gnaws at me, but on top of all of the normal scary stuff that dating brings, there’s just so much more that comes with the fact that you don’t live here,” she sighed. “Maybe I’m getting a little too attached, maybe you’re not. It’s just a part of me that keeps asking myself when you’re going to pick up and leave. And it’s your right to do that, but I can’t keep doing this if that’s where this is headed.”

“Can I respond to that?” He asked. 

She nodded. 

“If you think that me declining an invitation upstairs with you is an indication that I’m not enjoying my time with you, or that you don’t think I’m serious…Gwen, if I wasn’t serious, do you really think I’d be so concerned about going slow?”

She sighed, her arms crossing herself gently against the soft evening breeze that began to pick up. He took a few steps forward to close the distance between them. 

“I can literally run my business from anywhere,” he continued. “I’m not on some tight deadline here where I have to go back. If something comes up down the road, maybe it means a plane ride there and back, but right now, this is the company that needs me.” He paused. “And you’re the most important part of that. Professionally, and personally. This is all new for both of us, and can you at least try to see and understand that I am terrified of messing this up? Because if I lose you on the professional or personal front, I have no idea what I’d do.”

“I’m not this delicate flower you’re going to crush one day because you think we went too fast,” she responded. “I make my own decisions. Yeah ok, they’re not always the best ones, but they’re mine.” Her eyes shot up to look at the sky above them for a few moments of silence, before going back to him. “I can acknowledge that you are scared and you were coming from a place of just not wanting to mess this up,” she exhaled. 

A small smile came to Blake’s lips, satisfied that she seemed to be coming around a bit. “I don’t want you to think about me leaving. Because right now, I don’t have to,” he said. His hand went to cup her cheek, turning her up to look at him again. “I am wildly attracted to you, we have a huge gala to run, and everything is going to be hard work and I’m probably going to say a million things wrong, but I’ll have you by my side to correct me and set me straight, so I’ll be okay.” He paused again. “Please stay by my side, Gwen.”

Her eyes locked into him for a minute before her arms gradually went around his torso, tugging him into a hug. They both seemed to exhale and relax at the same time. 

“I’m really insecure, ok? I just, need you to talk to me like that sometimes,” she breathed. “I can’t help it.”

He squeezed her a bit and kissed the top of her head. “I can do that.”

She stood straight and met his eyes, allowing her arms to fall by her side. “I’m glad we went out. I guess this is goodnight.”

“Yeah,” he said, with an almost sad smile. “But one thing is left - I would definitely not be a _proper man_ if I didn’t at least walk you to your door.”

Gwen couldn’t help but laugh as the theme for the night unexpectedly emerged once more. 

“I think I can handle that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you guys getting ready for this gala? Let's just say there will be lots happening and the day is already slated to consist of multiple chapters! Hope you guys are still enjoying, and hanging in there for this ride <3


	14. Awake

_4:03 AM, Day of Gala_

The sun was nowhere to be found at the dark, eerily quiet hour of four in the morning. 

The one single day they had worked so hard to make a success was finally here - and frankly, getting through the day would be equally or even more challenging than the actual preparation itself. While Blake had imagined this gala only taking up part of the day, he had only realized a few days prior that it was a marathon of all day events. Gwen had done her best to prepare him for this, but as she kept saying over and over - nothing truly would prepare him, and it was something he just had to experience to understand. 

Wearing tight black athletic leggings, a black bra crop top, an unzipped black hoodie and Nike tennis shoes, blonde tresses piled in a messy bun on top of her head, she stood on his front porch, hands full with two Starbucks coffee cups ready to go. It only took him a moment to hear the doorbell after she rang it, and he sleepily opened the door and offered her a small smile.

“What’s this?” He asked, gesturing at the coffee.

“A _proper_ woman doesn’t come empty handed when she’s about to drag a man through 18 excruciating hours of a ballet gala,” she said sweetly, handing him a cup. He took it gratefully, then reached for hers and set both of them aside. He closed his eyes and tugged her into him, enveloping her in a big, sleepy hug.

“Let’s just stay right here and run everything from the house,” he suggested, obviously still waking up. Gwen had to give him props, though - he was dressed, jeans and a t-shirt, socks even, and all that were missing were his shoes. 

She was on her tippy toes as she moved her arms up around his neck, just letting him hug her as she hugged him back. “Do I need to do something to wake you up?”

He chuckled. “Maybe.”

She came off her toes and took his hand, tugging him towards the couch. She gently pushed him to sit down, and she crawled to straddle him on his lap. She leaned forward, hand coming up to his cheek as she kissed him slowly. 

Blake seemed to come to life a bit more, his hands smoothing across the fabric on her legs. His eyes opened fully, and he peered down at them. 

“I like these, _a lot_ ,” he said, referring to her leggings. His hands smoothed up towards her thighs, then settled on the small of her back. His eyes went to her crop top, and he tugged at it once. “This too.” 

She offered him a small smile, as her head tilted slightly. 

“Did you sleep?” she asked, stroking his cheek a bit. 

“Some,” he admitted, his hands moving to her hips. She leaned in and kissed him again.

“It’s almost over,” she said, before gently nipping at his ear lobe. “Everything we’ve been working for, it’ll pay off.”

He settled back a bit as he yawned, letting his eyes lock on her, gently circling his thumbs against her outer thighs. “It’s amazing you’re so calm. Didn’t expect that, no ‘ffence.”

“I don’t have time for anxiety today,” she dismissed. “Whatever is going to happen, will happen. We did everything right and we did everything we could. So my brain power has to go a hundred percent in to execution.” She paused. “Come on, cowboy, we need to head over.” She rocked a little, trying to her a reaction from him.

He groaned. She stood up, hands reaching out for his and pulled him into a standing position beside her. Her hand reached between them, splayed against his lower stomach first, before moving down over his jeans.

“Maybe if we get all of our morning to-do list done with time to spare, there will be time for a _break_ …” she emphasized, her head cocking to look up at him as she squeezed his dick. That seemed to be the motivator that made the difference, as he suddenly sprung into action. 

“Ahem,” he said, stepping aside to retrieve his boots. “Come on now, let’s go, can’t waste anymore time here.” 

She giggled and rolled her eyes, retrieving her coffee from the table and taking another sip.

——

_9:07 AM, Day of Gala_

Gwen stood on the side of the stage, sipping another cup of coffee as her shoulder leaned gently against one of the backdrops. Her eyes rested on the empty stage as she heard the faint sound of a few people beginning to arrive in the far away lobby, and only as someone opened and closed the door from the back of the performance arts center. After a few hours of running over last details of the day, changing clothes and applying some make up, and moving a few pieces into place - the day was about to officially begin. 

The gala wasn’t until that night, but it was a longstanding tradition to host the Children’s Program showcase during the day. It was the first event to get through for the day, and she couldn’t help but yawn as she went over all of the work that had already done that morning in her mind. 

“Last piece is unloaded,” Blake said, coming up behind her just in time to catch her yawn. With a mischievous grin, he leaned closer to her ear to speak lower so that only she could hear, his hands coming around her waist. “Do I need to do something to wake _you_ up?” He teased.

She giggled a bit and rolled her eyes. “I wouldn’t complain if you did,” she admitted, rocking herself slightly back into his crotch to mess with him a little. She yawned again, shaking her head a bit and she took another sip of her coffee. 

His eyes surveyed the scene before he let his hand slowly sneak up under her shirt, the other resting on her opposite hip. His hand cupped and teased one of her breasts, causing her to squirm a little as he brushed delicately over her nipple.

“Fuck, okay, I’m awake,” she giggled again, but he didn’t stop. When she squirmed a little more to escape, he used his hand on her hip to turn her into him, his mouth finding its way to planting kisses on her neck.

“I’m holding hot coffee and you really want to tease me right now?” she wined, more out of desperation than anything else. 

“What time do we need to meet everyone in the lobby?” He managed between neck kisses.

She exhaled, arching back slightly and trying to not let him see how much she was actually really enjoying it. Her response was delayed. “9:25…”

“Eighteen whole minutes?” His hands were planted firmly on her hips, and he pulled back to flash one of his famous grins. Her eyes narrowed, sipping at her coffee again. 

“What happened to all of those rules we made for work?” She questioned. 

“You broke them first as soon as you crawled on top of me this morning,” he responded cheekily, another grin flashing. He sighed and huffed, pulling her into a big hug and squeezing her tight. He stood like that for a solid minute, before she spoke up. 

“You ok up there?” She asked with a small laugh.

“Are you ok _down there_?” He responded and also laughed. 

“I lied earlier. I actually have a shit ton of anxiety about today,” she admitted. “It goes away when I’m busy, which thankfully will be all day for us with everything going on. But it’s all I can think about, I’m sorry. I promise to make out with you as long as you want when it’s all said and done with, though.” She pressed onto her toes and placed a kiss on his lips. 

“Everything is falling into place,” he said reassuringly. “Now come on, tell me more about this kids thing.”

“Serves a few different purposes besides tradition,” she said. “As the company owner, you’ll sit front row center down there,” she pointed to the reserved row in the audience. “All of the dancers should be here by 9:30 to start getting ready, as well as all of the teachers. Program starts at 10:30, ends by 1:00 or so, a reception for them after. It’s for their parents, but it’s also a showcase. A lot of people come to the performance to decide if they want to apply to audition for our programs. There are also agents in the office that need talent for Hollywood productions and music videos.”

“Just when I think this place is a big deal, you tell me something new,” he hummed. “Are you gonna be my date and sit with me?”

“Yeah,” she said with a laugh, then pausing. “I’m probably going to show up right at 10:30, and slip out around 11. I’ll be back before it ends, though.”

“Where are you going?”

She exhaled sadly, eyes shutting for a moment before forcing a small smile. “The first half hour is a recital. Daisy doesn’t have anyone to bring her. I got Amanda to pick her up under the directive that she’s going to stay with me until Amanda takes her home.”

Something felt a little off to him in the way she presented it. “What’s wrong with that?” He asked. “That sounds like a great thing you’re doing.”

Gwen nodded slightly, a small shoulder shrug and another exhale before she responded. “I know I’m not supposed to have favorites,” she began. “I love all of those kids. But Daisy…”

“It’s different,” Blake tried to help. 

“I feel guilty about it sometimes. But I was that girl. And Marianne was me. And I’m so lucky that she broke those kinds of rules for me, I really am, but feeling the same weird guilt that she must have felt now that I’m in her position is just kind of weird.”

“I think you’re a good person that is just trying to do good things for someone,” he offered. “You shouldn’t feel guilty about that. Not in the slightest.”

“That little girl has my heart.” Gwen sipped her coffee again and offered a small shrug. “Maybe you’re right.”

“Well, you do what you have to do when she gets here,” he offered. “I’ll, uh, do something else that makes people think I know what’s going on today.”

They both laughed together at his comment. “Your instructions are simple - it’ll be the easiest part of your day. Your butt, in that chair, at 10:25 AM.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick weekend update to start the gala day off. I can feel the drama getting closer <3
> 
> Hope you all are still enjoying this story!


	15. Sink or Swim

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little longer chapter this time. Thank you so much to everyone reaching out about this story, it means the world <3

_10:27 AM, Day of Gala_

Blake settled into the front row center seat that had been marked off, and looked behind him as he took in the crowds that very quickly fulled the auditorium over the previous forty minutes. It was far from completely full - the balconies were roped off and not in use - but it was definitely a much larger crowd than he expected. It was full of so many different types of people - obviously a number of parents and siblings of dancers, but also prospectives, professionals on their cell phones, fellow students, and more. The anxiety he hadn’t realized was present began to creep up inside of him as he felt out of touch with this world, not serving much of a purpose other than owning the very entity that that brought all of them together - and even that was by happenstance. 

A few people around him casually introduced themselves - very much a case of everyone knew who Blake was, but Blake was a bit behind with knowing who everyone was. Much to his relief, just as the lights dimmed slightly to signal the lights would go out completely soon, he caught a familiar messy bun of blonde hair jogging down the isle, stopping at the end of the first row to excuse herself through to get to him.

He pretended to check his watch, scolding her as soon as she reached him. “10:32, you’re late, Ms. Stefani.”

She rolled her eyes and chuckled, a bit out of breath as she took the seat next to his. “You’d be late too if the little girl who’s hair you were braiding somehow got it caught on the doorknob and you had to redo it,” she exhaled, still trying to catch her breath. Blake took his seat next to her, reached down to the ground and picked up his water bottle and handed it to her. 

Gwen took it immediately and started drinking it, a moment later twisting the cap back on it. “Thank you,” she breathed. 

“Is everything ready to start?” He asked.

“Yeah, they had to reboot the sound system, it’ll be any minute now.” Her eyes were on the stage as she seemed a little distracted. Discreetly, Blake let his hand rest on one of her thighs, which got her attention to turn towards him immediately. He leaned forward to speak in her ear. 

“Thank you for being here for me,” he said. “ _With_ me. I feel like a fish out of water already.”

He moved back slightly so that he could make eye contact with her. She exhaled, her hand resting over his a moment before she took his hand into hers and squeezed it. She leaned forward to speak to him in the same manner - against his ear, some semblance of privacy. 

“I’ll always be here for you, Blake,” she said, following up her statement with a gentle kiss on his cheek. She straightened back a bit, still leaning in forward to him. She squeezed his hand again. “Today will work out. I’m here to help you swim. I’ve been told I’m a pretty good teacher.”

It took all of his will to restrain himself in those moments, just wanting to take her and kiss her and never stop. They had discussed being careful about affection, though, both for some of the more conservative benefactors they would encounter, but also the gossip and drama that could explode like wildfire. They weren’t keeping things very secretive, but they both knew there was a level of discretion that needed to occur. 

The lights dimmed slowly and fully, both of their attentions turning to the stage as the music began to play. Gwen’s body found comfort leaning into his shoulder, their hands intertwined as they began to watch the performances.

\------

_11:07 AM, Day of Gala_

Gwen leaned in to speak to Blake in a hushed tone, sounds of little tap dancers tapping on the stage in the background.

“I need to go meet Daisy at the reception,” she said quietly. “After this number, the first part is over and they’’ll have a fifteen minute break before the showcase. Are you going to be alright?”

“Can I come with you?” He asked, his eyes going to her. He seemed genuinely interested but also a bit nervous about riding solo again, even if it wasn’t for too long. “I’d like to say hi to my other little ballet teacher, if that’s ok.”

Gwen couldn’t stop the huge grin that came on her face when he asked to come with her, and she nodded profusely. She glanced over to the left to map their exit, and soon rose discreetly, taking Blake’s hand with her as the two of them snuck out of the auditorium. 

Blake followed Gwen’s lead as they weaved through a few hallways and went down a staircase, somehow ending up backstage, and then soon walking into a large room with a bunch of children and their parents. It took a moment before Daisy popped up in the middle of the chaos, excitedly making her way over as soon as she spotted Gwen.

What happened next, though, took everyone by surprise. Just as Gwen was about to bend down to welcome the girl into her arms, Daisy’s eyes got even bigger when she saw Blake next to her, and she went running to him instead. She crashed right into his leg as her little arms wrapped around them and she looked up to him with a huge smile on her face.

“Mr. Blake!” She squealed. “You came. Did you see me dance? I didn’t fall or anything.”

Gwen seemed taken aback at her reaction and she couldn’t help but laugh as her and Blake made quick eye contact. 

“Guess I’m chopped liver,” she remarked, shaking her head. 

Blake bent down to get on Daisy’s level to respond, flashing a big, proud grin. “Of course I saw you dance, I couldn’t take my eyes off of ya. You were super good. You must have practiced real hard.”

“Oh, I did. I went to all of Ms. Gwen’s classes and listened to everything Ms. Gwen said,” she said affirmatively. 

Blake shot a look up to Gwen as he responded. “It’s good to listen to everything Ms. Gwen says,” he admitted. 

“I’ll remember that,” she remarked with a smirk, rubbing his shoulder before using it to balance to also bend down to Daisy’s level next to them. “Come here, I deserve some of those hugs more than Mr. Blake, he didn’t have to redo your hair three times,” she teased. Daisy obliged with a smile, moving a few steps over into Gwen’s arms to give her a big hug.

“Ms. Gwen, is Mr. Blake your boyfriend?” she asked innocently. 

Both Gwen and Blake looked at each other a bit awkwardly as they laughed, with Gwen nudging little Daisy. “Mr. Blake _could_ be my boyfriend someday, little one,” she responded, her eyes going to him. “But right now, Mr. Blake and I like spending time together.”

“Do you kiss him?” she asked, scrunching her nose a bit. Gwen started laughing harder.

“What is your sudden fascination with my relationship status, tiny?” she deflected, poking her stomach playfully. 

“If he was your boyfriend, then you would live with him,” she said a bit quieter, exhaling. She moved forward to hug Gwen again, her head resting on Gwen’s shoulder. Gwen went from laughing to a bit confused, slightly concerned, even, as the tone of the little girl’s voice changed so suddenly. 

“I wish I could live with you, Ms. Gwen,” she said a moment later, not moving away from the hug.

Gwen felt like someone had punched her in the stomach. And she didn’t know what to say, so she just froze in place. Blake felt the sudden tension, and he felt led to intervene. 

“Hey Daisy, they’ve got a huge snack table over there, do you want to go with me and we can get all of us some things to eat?”

The little girl stood up from the hug and looked at Blake briefly, before making eye contact with Gwen. Her eyes widened. 

“I made you cry,” she said, worry lingering in her voice. Gwen was furiously wicking the moisture from beneath her eyes in an attempt to save face, and she shook her head. 

“No, sweetheart, you didn’t do anything wrong,” she said softly, running her hand over Daisy’s hair. “Sometimes you just love someone so much that they make you cry in a good way,” she exhaled, not skipping more than a beat before continuing. “I think you should take Mr. Blake up on that invitation, he’s a good snack table buddy. Can you get me a small piece of cake, too?”

Blake gently rubbed her back for a minute before standing up, pecking a quick kiss on top of Gwen’s forehead along the way.

“See, he _does_ kiss you,” Daisy said with a grin. 

“You’re just too smart for us, kid,” she laughed. 

“Chocolate cake ooorrrr vanilla cake?” she asked. 

“Why don’t you surprise me?” Gwen offered. Blake swooped down and scooped Daisy up in his arms.

“Operation: Snack Table starts NOW!” He exclaimed with a grin. Blake glanced down to Gwen once more, and she mouthed a _thank you_ before the two of them went across the room to load a plate up of snacks for them to share. 

Within another eight or so minutes, they were back and Blake began setting Daisy up a place to eat. He had seen Gwen step outside the room when they were gone, and he was certain she hadn’t gone far. 

“I think Ms. Gwen had to talk to someone outside, are you ok here for a few minutes by yourself?” He asked. Daisy had a mouthful of cake but instead gave him a thumbs up in response. He ruffled her hair before stepping outside into the much quieter hallway. She had barely walked down the hall, and he easily found her sitting with her back against the wall a few feet away.

He lowered himself next to her, observing her head hung low and her not moving from that position. He began gently rubbing her back, and a few moments later, she sat up a bit straighter. 

“Thank you for taking her like that,” she said almost in a whisper. 

His arm moved around her completely, as her fingers swiped under her eyes. She took a deep breath, and looked over at him. “I just need a minute and I’ll be fine,” she said adamantly. 

“You can take the time you need.”

“Not today. Everyone needs me today. You need me to be 100%. This company needs me to be 100%. Daisy —“ she choked on her last word and forced herself to take a breath again. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry right now. I wasn’t prepared for that.”

“You apologize way too much for things that don’t need apologies,” he observed. 

“Let’s just go back in, ok?”

“We will. In a few minutes,” he said, not moving. “I think you need to sit with me out here just a bit longer. That is one perceptive little girl in there.”

“Yeah, she’s smart as hell,” she agreed. She let the silence linger, and realizing Blake wasn’t just going to let her storm through him, she let out another long exhale.

“I forget that I’m a mother sometimes,” she began quietly. “Not truly, I guess you don’t ever really forget it, you can just bury it when it hurts too much. That should be Kingston in there. I don’t even care if he thought dance was stupid. If not in a rehearsal room, I should be on the sidelines at a soccer game. Or in the front row at a piano recital. Whatever he wanted to do. And I can’t. And it hurts.” She let out a breath and swiped under her eyes again. “Kiwi accused me once of only caring about the kids because it was a replacement for Kingston. It’s not true, nothing can fill that void. But I guess I have to admit that caring about them helps me in some way, when it doesn’t overwhelm me like it just did.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” he responded. “You love your kids. You’d do anything for them, that much is obvious.” He paused. “I’d really like to meet Kingston someday. He sounds like a great kid.”

“Yeah,” she exhaled, straightening herself up a bit. “We should go back. Do I have mascara running down my face?”

He reached out and delicately swiped his thumb under one of her eyes. “Just a little something right there. I got it, though.” She inhaled sharply, willing herself to calm further. She caught his hand and held it against her cheek for a moment, before kissing the top of it and letting it go. “Thanks,” she said.

She stood up, Blake a half second behind her, and they walked back into the reception.

\-----

_01:02 PM, Day of Gala_

“Come with me.”

The words were whispered moments after they saw Daisy off with Amanda, in between networking Blake around a bit and making sure the other children found their parents. Gwen had said the words so simply, yet powerfully, he couldn’t help but be intrigued. After a moment of wrapping up a conversation with a potential student’s parents, the two made a graceful exit from the main room where everyone was gathered in the lobby.

She took his hand, pulling him towards one of the side doors leading down a grand hallway.

They walked in silence, soon turning a corner and happening upon the multiple floor to ceiling double doors that marked the entrance to the grand ballroom. She pulled one back and open, just enough for the two of them to slip inside. 

The room was gorgeous - quiet, and perfectly decorated. A large dance floor was polished in the middle, with what seemed like hundreds of tables plated and ready to go for the sit down dinner planned for the evening. A large stage was off to the side, opposite the many doors that led into the kitchen. The far back of the room was completely done in floor to ceiling glass, showcasing a killer view of downtown. 

“Wow,” Blake breathed, taking it all in, as his eyes went multiple directions studying the details.

“Shhh…” she said softly. “Do you hear that?”

“Hmm?”

“The calm before the storm,” she clarified, with a sigh. “Sweet silence.”

She walked forward, her hand pulling his along to follow. She walked to the middle of the dance floor, and turned to Blake. 

“How’s your dancing these days?” she inquired. 

With a chuckle, he looked dead at her as he responded, “Well you already know I’m the newest star ballet dancer in the company.”

She laughed softly. “Ballroom dancing, I mean.”

“Oh, uh…” he looked a bit unsure and gave a shrug. “Dunno, just ok I guess, it’s been years, why?”

“After everyone is presented, we’ll be last,” she explained. “And it’s tradition that you’re the first on the dance floor to start the evening. Nobody else will dare dance until you’ve given the silent approval.”

“And you’re only telling me this now?” 

She offered a slightly sheepish smile. “I didn’t want to freak you out. I think you would have been more nervous about it on top of the rest of the stress you’re under. But it’s really easy and we’re going to nail it right now, it will take ten minutes, fifteen at most. All a part of my master plan.”

“I can’t learn to dance in fifteen minutes,” he said with a nervous sigh. “Oh my god.”

“Blake, eyes on me,” Gwen said, her hands resting on his arms to look up at him. He obliged, and she offered him a small smile. “Do you really think I would set you up to fail? I promise, I know what I’m doing.” She seemed to be pleading with him to give her a chance to show him that she had it under control. “You’ve done so much in such a short amount of time. I’m so proud of you. This is nothing, I promise. Trust me one more time.”

He sighed, running his hand through his hair. “Ok. I trust you. What do I need to do?”

She smiled and took his hand, walking him to the edge of the dance floor. She pointed to a nearby door. 

“They announce and everyone comes through there,” she explained. “Directors, principals, those kind of people. It’s not as dramatic as it seems. You’ll come out last, I’ll be on…” she moved to the other side of him, hooking her arm around his. “…this side. You’ll follow the pace set by everyone before you. And when you come out, everyone is going to stand and clap. Be prepared for that.”

“Why are they clappin’ for me? I’m not performing,” he asked. 

“Because you own the company, worked hard, and made all of this possible,” she explained. 

“You did most of the work, they should clap for you.”

She chuckled and shook her head. “If Steve Jobs walked into a room for an even that sponsored Apple, you would stand and clap for him. Same thing here. Steve wasn’t the one building the computers.”

“Okay, fair point,” he huffed. 

“The music will begin when the clapping dies down,” she continued. “You’re going to drop my hand, turn to me like this…” she gently tugged him into position. “…and ask for my hand again to dance.” She nodded to indicate it was time for him to do so, and he sighed, offering his hand to her. She delicately placed her own hand into his, taking a slight bow before stepping forward. 

“Right hand on my waist, left up and in frame,” she instructed, her eyes set on him. He easily got the _touch her on the waist_ part down, he enjoyed that actually, but his other arm needed a few adjustments. Gwen reached up and put his arm into frame. “Keep the arm engaged and strong, push into my hand a little.”

“This is all fine and dandy, but we haven’t had to move yet,” he said skeptically. 

“Pull me closer to you,” she said softly. He did so, and to his surprise, she pressed up on her toes and placed a soft kiss on his lips. “You’re going to be fine. We don’t have to move very far. We actually can probably get away with swaying back and forth, like this…” She began doing so, smiling a few moments into her swaying. 

“Mmm,” he responded, as he began to sway just a little bit along with her. “I don’t even get to spin you around?”

She started laughing. “I thought you wanted the easy version of this!” 

“Well yeah, but I’m in a room with dancers, I can’t be lame.”

Gwen rolled her eyes. “Hold on, cowboy,” she said, extending herself out with his arm. “I’m going to spin into you, you’re going to catch my opposite hand, and then you’re going to spin me away. Gently. Got it?”

“Oh wait a second, don’t we need to —“

“Sink or swim,” she said, turning herself towards him and wrapping herself into his arm. Her opposite hand reached over to make contact with his other hand. Their faces were angled towards each other, only a few inches away. 

“Now you have to let me go to spin me back out,” she said with a breath, a small smile coming to her lips.

“Oh I really don’t want to do that,” he groaned. She giggled as he pecked a kiss on top of her nose, eventually relenting and spinning her back out with a disappointed sigh.

“See? If you can handle that, you can handle a little swaying,” she said. She let go of his hand and walked the few steps between them to close the distance, her arms snaking up around his neck, her torso pressing into his. “We could always do the awkward middle school dance pose like this, without the awkward.” She began to move her hips slightly, and his hands naturally found their way to rest on the small of her back.

“Hmm, I like this one best,” he said with confidence. 

“Ok cowboy, we can just do this,” she said with a smile. “That is, unless you want to break out the complicated ballroom spins again, or even better, the ballet shoes.”

“Nope, nope, just like this,” he said confidently, as he began to pick up his own rhythm with hers. “This I can handle.”

“Was that an admission that I was right, yet again?” She asked, feigning shock in her voice. 

He laughed and shook his head. “You’re trouble, woman.”

“You should have already figured that one out a long time ago,” she countered and shrugged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...so this was like the pre-drama to the drama, which is before the other drama and the major drama. Haha. Drama. It's coming :)


	16. Failure to Launch

_01:58 PM, Day of Gala_

Blake pulled into the driveway at the house, immediately going for the many bags Gwen had thrown in the trunk. While she had left so many more back at the auditorium, there were a number that she insisted be dragged back with them so that she could get ready. 

She yawned as she walked through the front door, holding it open for Blake to carry everything in and set it down in the living room. She watched him for a moment, and then watched him walk right up to her and envelop her in a hug. She exhaled and relaxed against him for a moment. 

“Come take a nap with me before we have to get ready?” she asked.

“A nap, hmm?” He was skeptical. 

She laughed. “A legitimate nap!” 

“Just checkin’” he said with a grin. “Though I wouldn’t be opposed to either.”

She took his hand into hers and walked back towards her room, stopping abruptly in the doorway. Her eyes went to the bed, a royal blue garment bag draped neatly across. 

“Why is your tux in here?” She asked, not thinking much about it. She moved forward and let go of his hand, taking the garment bag and hanging it up on the closet so that they could lay on the bed. She tugged the duvet cover back, and looked back at him when he didn’t immediately follow her. 

“Gwen, my tux is hanging up in my room,” he said, and waited another moment. Her face flashed confusion, and she stopped rustling the covers back. She stood next to the bed, waiting for him to explain. 

“Okaaaaay…” she responded, scrunching her forehead a bit. “What is that, then?”

He took a seat on the side of the bed, working every muscle in his being to contain himself in those moments. “Not sure. Maybe you should check it out.”

Her confusion remained for what felt like another century, before it dawned on her and her eyes widened as her face lit up. 

“Blake, please tell me you didn’t…”

“I didn’t what?” He asked, having way too much fun playing this game with her. 

“What’s in the garment bag?” she asked quietly, starting to feel her cheeks fluster. 

“I don’t remember, honest,” he chuckled. “Why don’t you open it?”

She let out a frustrated breath as she felt suddenly put on the spot, her eyes going to the garment bag. She walked towards it, reached down for the zipper and pulled it up, confirming her suspicions that it was the dress she had put on hold at the formal wear shop. 

She exhaled sharply as her eyes glanced over it. “I can’t accept this,” she said, her hand running across the delicate fabric. He came up behind her, his hands going to the top of her shoulders. “You need to take it back. This dress is so expensive. I can’t.”

“No returns on altered dresses, is what they told me, I’m afraid,” he shrugged. “I guess you’ll just have to keep it!” He kissed the top of her head as his arms came around her waist. He momentarily fell into a pit of doubt, which led to the next question. “This is the right dress, isn’t it? I told Mallory to sell me the one she was holding for you, and she had your measurements saved so I got super sneaky alternations done…”

“The dress isn’t the problem, Blake,” she choked. “The problem is, I don’t even know what to say right now. I just…” she shook her head. “I’m overwhelmed. Besides _her_ , nobody has ever done anything like this for me.” She let out a breath that she hadn’t realized she was holding in. She swiped under her eyes and let out a singular chuckle. “Jesus, how many more times am I going to cry today?” she asked to nobody in particular. 

“So I did good?” He asked nervously, still trying to feel her out. She started laughing through her tears, and turned into him, her arms going around him as her cheek rested on his torso. 

“Yeah, you did good,” she said softly. “Thank you.”

“No, _thank you_ ,” he responded immediately. “None of this would have been possible without you, Gwen. You’ve saved me more than you even know.” He squeezed a bit. “And I can’t even tell you what an incredible friend you’ve been to me, and that’s priceless. I just wanted to do something nice.”

She pressed her body into him, trying to indicate that she wanted him to move backwards. He took a few steps back and she pushed him gently onto the bed, landing half on top of him. She laughed a little and repositioned herself, curling up into him. His arm kept her close as her left leg hiked up and lazily rested on top of his. Mindlessly, her finger began tracing in random patterns on his shirt. Her movements slowed, and eventually ceased as she surrendered to sleep.

\---------

_06:18 PM, Evening of Gala_

He felt the air get sucked out of his lungs as soon as Gwen emerged from her room - fully dressed, full face of make up, neatly manicured hair wore long and curled at the ends like an actress in an old Hollywood film. 

He hadn’t looked at the dress he bought her - he rather liked surprises, but damn, he hadn’t been able to take his eyes off of her. The floor length Champagne colored dress clung to her curves exactly where it needed to. He almost had an out of body experience as soon as she turned to the side, revealing the dress was also backless. 

She had walked up to him, gently adjusting his bowtie and straightening his shirt - she had been speaking to him, but he couldn’t concentrate on the words. They had some brief conversation with Gwen asking permission to wear a certain jewelry set of Marianne’s - her brief exit from the room giving him a chance to breathe again. He remembered them getting into the car together to head back to the performing arts center, still trying to find a way to breathe and coexist with Gwen wearing that dress all night. 

“You haven’t said much since we left. Are you alright?” She was leaned in towards him as soon as they got out of the car together and they were hand in hand, walking in through the side entrance. The crowds were out in full swing, a stark difference to how they had left the venue earlier in the day. 

“Gwen, don’t take this the wrong way…” he began, then chuckled. “But that might have been my biggest mistake of the night, buying you that dress. I can’t stop staring.” He sighed. “God, do you even know how fucking hot you are?” 

She laughed, brushing the attention off and taking his hand. “Maybe it’s a good thing we have our own private box, then.”

Blake wiggled his eyebrow and smiled, obviously liking the idea. 

After a few minutes of mingling and Gwen introducing Blake to a few important people she saw, they were soon walking up into the balcony to find their seats. 

“Remind me how this goes again,” he asked, as soon as they both settled down. 

“Performance is first,” she explained. “It runs an hour and a half. We’ll sneak out a few minutes before curtain. Open the gala with the first dance, and we’ll work the room the rest of the night. Together.” She paused. “Then we’ll pour ourselves into bed, and not leave for three days.”

“At least there’s something to look forward to at the end,” he said. 

“Bedtime?” She laughed. “Mmm, you’re right, our little nap earlier was just not long enough.”

“How’d you swing this fancy box all to ourselves?” He asked, looking around.

Gwen stared at him for a moment in disbelief before she erupted into laughter.

“Cowboy, you own the company, we could have blocked off the entire upper balcony for ourselves,” she managed through her laughter. “Except not really, because we need those seats filled with people who want to give us money later.”

“Dirty,” he said with a chuckle. 

“What? Whoring ourselves out for money?” She asked sweetly. 

They both laughed, quieting as the lights began to dim, indicating the start of the show very soon. Just as the music began to pick up from the orchestra, he reached in the middle of their seats to take her hand to hold. 

\--------

_07:07 PM, Evening of Gala_

While ballet had never been Blake’s first choice of entertainment, there were more than a few reasons it seemed to be growing on him lately. 

Most men might be bored to tears at these performances, but Blake was studying. He studied the dancers, the intricacies of this world. He listened to the music, he marveled the athleticism and strength. Despite Gavin portraying the male lead role dancing on the stage, he could almost even forget he was there - so much was going on. 

Gwen was enthralled. For something she had been around and watched her entire life, it was almost as if it was brand new to her in those moments. Blake took equal pleasure watching the dance, as he did in watching how much it effected her. He got lost in it actually, momentarily having to hope that she didn’t catch him staring. 

Her face went from enthralled and mesmerized to horrified and panicked at the drop of the hat. 

Blake’s face fell, whipping his head around immediately to the stage. Two dancers on the ground, very much not a part of the performance. 

“We have to go _now_ ,” Gwen snapped, standing and grabbing his arm immediately to pull him with her. It wasn’t a question; it was an order. 

They were all but jogging down the back hallways, Gwen leading them somewhere - presumably towards the issue. 

“What happened?” He asked, as she pushed one of the doors open, only a second later clearing through. 

“He dropped her, on a lift” she said, a hint of anger in her voice. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

Somehow, despite the difference in their height, Gwen’s shorter strides were carrying her at such a faster pace than Blake that he started having issues keeping up. So much so, he had to pick up his own pace.

“Was it an accident?” He asked, dumbfounded. “Accidents happen, right?”

“When you are responsible for anyone, _anyone_ in the air, you don’t fucking drop them,” she hissed, though not directed at him. “They are in ten times more danger than you. If you have to risk injury and throw yourself under them so they break their fall on top of you, that’s what you do. You don’t just fucking drop them on the stage floor.”

Blake decided it best to keep the rest of that discussion to himself, deferring to Gwen completely. This was her world, and he just needed her to help him with it all. 

A moment later, they were backstage. They rushed right up to the edge of the curtain, Gwen looking out into the audience. 

“We called for an intermission,” one of the show runners approached Gwen. “We have 15 minutes before we need to decide what we are going to do.”

She sighed out of frustration and turned to walk towards the injured ballerina. Darla had her laying on the ground, flat on her back, as she examined her. While others seemed to be backing up to give them some room, Gwen went right into the line of fire, Blake straggling a few steps behind.

“Darla?” she asked. Their two eyes met, and Gwen’s face fell as they seemed to communicate silently with one another. She knew it wasn’t good, and she knew the girl would not be getting back on stage in 15 minutes. 

“We need to get her off this stage,” Darla said. “Get her leg elevated. We need to get her to the large dressing room in the back, the one with that couch.”

“I can help,” Blake said, shrugging off his jacket and without a second thought, handing it to Gwen. He kneeled on the ground next to the two women. “I can get her back there, no problem, just tell me what I need to do.”

“Mirabelle, put your arm around Blake’s neck. Blake, can you lift her from underneath? We need to try to keep her leg as straight as possible,” Darla said, showing him exactly where he needed to be in position. 

“Got it, just tell me when you guys are ready,” he nodded. 

He slowly pulled into a standing position with Darla’s help, keeping the younger girl in formation as best he could support. It was a slow journey back through the halls to the dressing room, lowering her gently onto the couch under Darla’s watchful eye. He hung around for a few minutes, offering his help, but lingering out of the way as others came to assist. Darla moved to give him a grateful hug and let him know they would handle it from there, taking it as his cue to exit and give them some room to work. 

Blake walked back down the back hall towards the stage to where he had left the scene, which was mostly cleared out by that point. His eyes surveyed the area, trying to find Gwen. 

“Looking for your girlfriend?” the nauseating British accent sneered from behind him. Blake turned and saw him, propped up casually against one of the props. 

“Where is Gwen?” He asked stoically, not interested in playing into his games.

Gavin chuckled. “Oh, you’re going to love this one,” he said, pushing off the wall with his left foot as he proceeded to walk away. 

“Hey!” Blake called after him. “I asked you a question, and I won’t ask it again. Where is Gwen?”

“Are those six and a halves?” A frantic female voice came from behind him, though not directed to him. He whipped around to the sound of Gwen approaching - but as soon as his eyes fell on her, his heart immediately dropped. In the time he took carrying the injured ballerina to the back room to be examined, Gwen somehow got a terrible idea in her head. And it was one he had to stop. 

Dressed in full costume and tights, her hair pulled up and secured in record speed, she was fiddling with an earring right before she snatched a new pair of pointe shoes from one of the other dancers. 

“Beat them harder, rip the inner sole, flame the toe box,” she instructed, handing them back. It was all Chinese to Blake as she jogged over to the warm up barre next to the stage, hiking her leg up as she began to stretch.

“What on God’s green earth do you think you’re doing?!” He exclaimed, coming up next to her. She continued to stretch. 

“I’m going out on that stage and finishing the performance,” she said without hesitation. 

“You’re not cleared to dance, Gwen, you’re going to hurt yourself.”

“What do you know about being cleared to dance?” she snapped a bit, but he didn’t take it personally. Before he could say anything, she continued. “It’s 25 minutes. Do you want the headlines of the cultural arts section tomorrow to read _Dumbass Dancer Gavin Rossdale Drops Helpless Ballerina In a Career-Ending Fall_ or would you like it to read _From Audience to Stage; How Dancer Gwen Stefani Made a Quick Save at Abbotsleigh Annual Gala Event_ …?”

“I’d rather not read the headline that says _Gwen Stefani forced into early retirement after landing herself in a wheelchair_ …”

“You’re so dramatic,” she mumbled, switching legs. 

“I’m not dramatic, damn it, I care about you. I care what happens to you. And you do not need to do this.” He was pleading, he was worried. It was obvious the risk wasn’t worth it to him. 

She brought her leg down and whipped around, standing directly under him as she addressed him. “Listen to me. You can either support me in this, or you can leave. Because I cannot deal with your issues right now.” It was harsh, but it needed to be said. “This company is my entire life. This is everything she built, and _she_ built _me_. My days dancing professionally are numbered, and I know that you don’t understand why I have to do this, but this has everything to do with our success tonight. I will risk a god damn permanent injury that will take me off the principal roster altogether if it means saving this particular show. Mirabelle was the understudy. There is no understudy to the understudy, not one that’s ready, and she can’t walk. I’m all you’ve got. So get on board, or get out of the way.”

Her head whipped to the side as one of the dancers brought her the pointe shoes, more broken in this time. Gwen began to bend them, taking a seat on a folding chair nearby as she quickly began to tape up her toes the way she needed to. He was standing there in shock, lost somewhere between his worry for her and understanding what she was doing.

“So what’s it going to be?” she asked, demeanor a lot softer than moments before. She pulled both pointe shoes on, lacing them up. Her attention looked up to him.

“Ninety seconds,” one of the show runners called in a loud whisper. 

“Gwen, I don’t like this but…I support you. Of course, I will always support you,” he said with a sigh. “I’m on board as much as I’m going to be in the next ninety seconds.” He held out both of his hands for her, which she took a hold of as she rose to a standing position. She exhaled as she alternated between her feet, flexing into the shoes. She pushed up en pointe, biting her lip, her hands gripping Blake tighter. She repeated, working her movements into the pain, adjusting to it. 

“Does it hurt?” He asked softly. 

“It always hurts.” Her face grimaced as she alternated again, pressing up en pointe. “I am literally balancing my body weight on two of my toes right now.” She exhaled.

“Thirty seconds!”

Her eyes went to Blake, the first time he saw a flash of worry across her features. She leaned forward, placing a kiss on his cheek. She hovered at his ear, her arms coming around his neck.

“Thank you for caring,” she said softly, then her tone turned a bit more serious. “I need you to do me a favor. I’m going to go on the stage when they cue me in. You need to wait at least a minute, then I need you to go get Darla. I need her here when it’s over. Okay?”

“Fifteen seconds!”

Blake exhaled, squeezing her tightly into a hug. “Please, be careful. Promise me that.”

“ _Darla_ , Blake. I need you to promise me you will go get her.”

“Why do you need her? What are you planning on doing?”

“ _Promise_ ,” she insisted through gritted teeth.

“I promise.”

“Okay. And I promise I’ll be careful,” she said, kissing him again on the cheek before lowering herself to the ground. She squeezed his hands before letting go and she walked away from him, towards the edge of the stage. 

"You look beautiful," he called after her. A smile came across her features as she turned around to make eye contact with him, walking backwards as few steps in acknowledgement of his compliment before turning back around. 

She walked up next to Gavin, wishing she could slap the sneering grin he had right off of his face. 

“The fuck is going on with you, Gavin,” she shook her head, her eyes planted firmly on the curtain as it began to rise. “You don’t drop girls like that. What are you up to?”

His hand snaked around her waist from behind, him leaning in to hover over her shoulder. “Maybe I just wanted to invent a way to get you back under my control for the night.”

She got her wish, as she turned immediately and slapped him across the face, hard. He recoiled on impact. A moment later she was given her cue, and she went from pissed off dancer to a happy, smiling ballerina as she pranced out on the stage to continue the show, the crowds roaring upon her realizing her entrance. 

As far as Blake was concerned, Gavin should have considered himself lucky he also had to prance out on a stage a few counts after Gwen, or else he would have taken far too much pleasure in the sound of his hand crushing Gavin’s windpipe on contact after the exchange he had just witnessed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drama dramaaaaa. Drama drama drama. He he. Drama. 
> 
> Let me know what you think! <3


	17. Shoot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was bullied on twitter to post another update. So here it is. 
> 
> (<3)

_7:23 PM, Evening of Gala_

If he hadn’t been so completely worried about her, he would have been awestruck. 

Gwen was a remarkable, beautiful dancer. It came so naturally to her, from the movement to the acting behind it. It was also the first time she didn’t appear to visibly want to murder a certain Gavin Rossdale - which was nearly impossible, and yet here she was, making a crowd believe she loved being on that stage. He knew deep down that she did, but he also knew she was in pain, and would have traded out Gavin for literally any other person in the world. 

He held his breath on all the lifts, bit his tongue on every turn, and eventually had to tune Darla out next to him who was cursing at him in Russian and telling him he owns the company and owns Gwen as the dancer and he needed to impose severe consequences on this but he also should have stopped it. He didn’t take it personally, she was in the same boat as he was; they were both worried about her. 

He knew Gwen was worried about herself, too. She wouldn’t have insisted on calling for Darla to be there when this was all over, unless she anticipated needing help. And that realization alone was almost too much to think about.

The curtain fell, indicating the end of the ballet after what felt like an eternity. The entire cast of dancers flooded onto the stage at once, joining hands in a specific formation as the curtain rose again. It was a full standing ovation as they moved forward and took a bow. The lines moved back, curtain falling again. The lead roles stayed on the stage, including Gwen, and her huge smile came back on her face as soon as the curtain came back up one last time. They moved forward, the crowds getting noticeably louder as they took another long, final bow. They moved back, the curtain fell. The main cast released one another, most moving to exit the stage. 

Instead of following suit, Gwen staggered back a few steps, ending up on the ground. Her face went from the faked happiness and lightness about her to her true feelings - pain, and anguish. 

Before Gwen even hit the ground, Darla grabbed Blake and forcefully pulled him with her as she went rushing by Gwen’s side in a heartbeat.

Blake sat behind her, positioning himself so that her back could lean against him. Her eyes were shut tight and she was holding it all in; his arms went around hers and he took one of her hands to hold in his. 

“That was it.” Her whispered words hung in the air softly, ominously, as her face bordered on portraying shock. 

“You’re in pain, you need to let it out,” he said against her ear. “Squeeze my hand if you need to, as hard as you can.” Darla quickly unlaced the pointe shoe from her injured foot, discarding it to the side. She hooked under the opening on her convertible tights, gently taking her foot out of them to examine it.

Gwen’s eyes were filled with tears as she still fought to keep the pain quiet. She took Blake up on the offer, almost without meaning to, as she squeezed his hand with all of the strength she had left in her. 

Darla was examining her foot like a science project. “Is it still the arch?”

“Yes,” she whimpered.

“I need to move it,” she said. “Gwen, I need you to tell me if the pain is unbearable, and I’ll stop. But I need to feel inside as best I can. Okay?”

She nodded as a few tears fell down her cheeks.

“What do you need?” Blake asked. 

“Stay here,” she breathed. “Please.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

Darla began to use her thumb to trace along the inside of her foot - first the light pressure didn’t bother her, but when she started applying more pressure, this changed very quickly.

“Darla, I need you to shoot it,” she said through her teeth.

“Excuse me?!” Blake exclaimed. 

“Gwen,” she sighed. “Pain is the body’s warning system that something is wrong. If I do that, you could miss a very large warning if something goes seriously wrong. You’re already injured, and I want you to walk again.”

“I don’t have the luxury of this being an option,” she said. “Not tonight. Not for everything writing on this.” Darla wasn’t responding, which frustrated her. “Come on! I swear to god, I will use crutches for six months if you demand it, but I need to walk tonight!”

The two of them locked gazes and stared for a moment, before Darla relented with a sigh. “I’ll be right back.” She stood, jogging off of the stage to retrieve her bag.

“The hell is going on?” Blake asked. Gwen moved her hands to the ground, gently pushing herself back into him as she sat up straight, keeping her leg out straight in front of her.

“Blake, I need you to wrap your arms around me. Tight.” She sighed. “I need you to help keep me still.”

“Still from what??” Darla came jogging right back over to them, another dancer in tow, soon pulling out a large syringe from the bag. She tapped the injection a few times. The other dancer kneeled next to Gwen, gripping her thigh with one hand and her calf with the other. “Whoa, whoa, what is that? What are you doing?”

“Blake, hold onto me, _now_ ,” she insisted. Darla’s hand held her ankle, and without getting any answers, Blake did as she asked. A moment later, Gwen let out an agonizing cry as soon as the needle penetrated her skin. 

It went in agonizingly slow, and she fought both Blake and the person holding her leg to the ground as she tried to get through the pain. Her first agonizing cry died down into a prolonged whimper as her entire body tensed, trying to deflect the pain. Darla soon withdrew the needle, and her body slumped, some of the tension relieving as the overbearing pain was mostly over. The other dancer moved his hands away from her leg, and Blake loosened his grip. 

“You need to sit here for _at least_ five minutes before you even _think_ about standing up,” Darla said, through strict, gritted instruction. She moved to the side, towards her, placing her hand behind Gwen’s head as she kissed her forehead. “You’re tough as nails, but you’re going to fucking kill me one day.”

Gwen reached for her, bringing Darla into a hug. “Thank you,” she whispered. 

“Don’t make me regret this,” she mumbled. 

Gwen released her, and she stood up. 

“I need to go check on Mirabelle,” she said. Darla looked to Blake. “Under no circumstances do you let her move until I come back, do you understand?”

“I got it,” he affirmed. A promise he fully intended to see through. Once Darla was out of earshot, his attention went back to Gwen. “What did you just do?”

“I did what was necessary,” she said quietly. “I did the only thing that would let me walk again tonight.”

“We could have figured something else out,” he said. 

“No, we couldn’t have,” she countered. “There is no scenario where I sit out this fundraiser. You need me too much. This company needs me.”

“You’re not dancing at the gala tonight,” he said. “I won’t allow it. You need to figure out another tradition.”

“Okay,” she compromised, which momentarily threw Blake due to her sudden compliance. She thought for a moment. “You’re going to escort Amanda in. You’ll ask her to dance. Sway for a minute, and we’ll set James up to interrupt and ask her to dance, relieving you.” She paused, before continuing. “You’re going to be with me all night. I’m going to be ok with you.”

He sighed. “I’m with Darla on this one. You’re going to fucking kill me one day.”

As if on cue, the older woman emerged again, walking towards them. “Are you ready?” She asked.

_8:41 PM, Evening of Gala_

She was up, walking some but taking her time to favor the injured leg. She had managed to shed the costume and the tights to switch back into her gown for the gala, though she opted to leave her hair pinned up in the ballet bun instead of try and mess with letting it down. 

Blake insisted on carrying her across the venue, the gala itself being a far walk from the stage. She let him, knowing he was already upset with her, and knowing that maybe this small allowance would serve to calm his nerves a bit. He had pushed them off for the time being, but she knew they were still there. Because she knew _him_. 

He didn’t put her down not one inch shy of the lineup, in front of him and next to James. James immediately offered Gwen his arm for stability, a look of concern on his face. 

“Take it easy tonight, alright?” James said to her. “If I’m going too fast, you need to let me know.”

“Okay, thank you James. You’re a good friend,” she responded. Gwen smiled at Amanda behind her, standing next to Blake.

“What a beautiful dress, Amanda,” she complimented. The other woman beamed and offered a thank you. It hit her like a ton of bricks in that moment how much she was the one that was longing to be at Blake’s side, instead of her. But this was how it had to be, and she pushed her childish jealousy aside, trying to remember that Blake was hers for the night, and this was just some silly traditional opening dance.

Soon the procession began, one by one. It had always felt like a twisted version of a wedding, as the various directors and principals and other important company folk were presented in pairs to a roaring crowd of applause. Gwen opted to hop on her good leg as they made their way to the front of the line, James helping her along the way.

When it was their turn, their names were called and they emerged from the double doors, Gwen now pretending it didn’t hurt to walk like a normal person. The two of them were decidedly slower than those that came before, and the announcer stopped and interrupted suddenly. 

“Alright, alright, hold on here a minute,” he said, the crowd dying down. “I’ve just got to say, this beautiful blonde ballerina really saved the show tonight, didn’t she?!” It caused the crowd to erupt in cheers, which caused Gwen to blush, all but hiding her face in James’ arm. “Now some of you may know, Ms. Stefani was supposed to dance the lead role from the beginning, but she got injured. So what you saw here tonight was short of a miracle - this lady put on her pointe shoes and danced through a painful injury. I think it’s incredible, and she deserves another round of applause!” 

Blake was watching the ordeal from behind, a proud grin on his features, though he had mixed emotions about it. Of course he was proud of her, and she deserved all of the applause, but he really wished that she would have tried to find an alternative. He was worried about her, and what a re-injury could mean. 

James escorted Gwen to the side, and they both turned in formation to face the front of the dance floor for the final arrival. Blake was introduced in, the crowd equally vivacious as they greeted him with roaring applause. Blake leaned over to the announcer, asking for the microphone. 

“One thing I really need to say,” he began. “We all worked so hard to put this night together, and I really hope you all are enjoying yourselves. But it would be a mistake to not also recognize, that beautiful blonde ballerina over there…” he gestured to Gwen, “…did the heavy lifting on the entire event. She’s been here with me since 5am, and hasn’t stopped the last several weeks. So please, don’t clap for me. Clap for her, because I would have been completely and utterly lost without her.”

Gwen’s cheeks flushed even more, if that was possible, as Blake once again turned the attention back onto her. 

The clapping began to fade out, and he continued. “Ok, that’s all I had to say, I’ll get this dancin’ thing started now,” he grinned. Gwen couldn’t help but laugh hysterically to herself, never in a million years witnessing anything like him at one of these things. He turned to Amanda and offered her his hand - exactly like she taught him. Amanda graciously accepted, and they began to slowly dance to the incoming music. 

Another couple took the floor, and then another. James squeezed Gwen’s arm gently.

“Duty calls,” he said. “Take care of yourself tonight, doll.” James moved forward towards Blake and Amanda, asking for Amanda’s hand, and Blake nodded to both of them and moved off the dance floor to be with Gwen again. He let out a sigh of relief, running his hand through his curls.

“You were perfect,” she greeted him, pressing up on her good foot to kiss his cheek. Her arm snaked behind his back, her hand clasping onto his torso as his arm came around hers, resting his palm on her shoulder. 

“I had a good teacher,” he said, his thumb tracing against her skin now. “How are you doing?”

“I can’t feel a thing,” she replied honestly. 

Blake let out a chuckle. “I’m not sure that’s a good thing.”

“Blake, the plan hasn’t changed,” she said. “We need to work the room. I will be as careful as humanly possible, I will physically lean on you for support, but I cannot literally sit this out.” She sighed. “I know you care. And it means the world to me. But I promise, I will tell you if something is wrong. I will tell you if I need a break. Deal?”

“There will be breaks,” he insisted off the bat. “But ok, it’s a deal.”

“Come on, I see our first prospect,” she reached forward at a waiter passing by with a tray and grabbed two glasses of champagne, handing one to Blake as she began to weave them through the crowds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha. You realize the drama has barely even started, right?


	18. The Letter

_9:37 PM, Evening of Gala_

“Miss Stefani! Mr. Shelton!”

They were getting calls out from various parts of the room all evening, their heads whipping around each time. Gwen would be quick to identify each prospect, quickly relaying keywords to Blake to prepare for the encounter. 

“You’re not going to like this one, keep your cool, whatever happens. I mean it.” Gwen downed the last of the champagne in her glass, setting it aside as a middle aged man approached them. Just on his look alone, Blake found himself on high alert. For what, he wasn’t sure. 

“What a night, AM I RIGHT?” he exclaimed, a twangy accent to boot. 

“Mr. Johannes,” Gwen forced a smile, offering her hand out to him. “I’m so happy you decided to attend our soiree this evening.”

“Mmm, mmm, mmm,” the gentleman sneered. “Miss Gwen, how is it that you are just a more exquisite dancer every single time I watch ya?” 

“Actually, you’re underselling her,” Blake chimed in. “Miss Stefani is actually my Company Director.”

Gwen’s head whipped around so fast to look up at him, almost in shock. She stuttered for a few moments not having the words to even follow up with that. She remembered the conversation at hand, and looked back to the other man with a soft smile.

“I hope you enjoyed the _full_ performance this evening,” she said genuinely. “My dancing days have an expiration date, I’m afraid.”

“Now this is what I need to ask, right now, and I’m going to ask ya because we’re friends and I know you won’t get super sensitive,” he explained, and Gwen just prepared herself for the worse. Without warning, he moved his hand around gently slapped her ass, causing her back to straighten as she felt the impact. “My girlfriend has been trying every damn workout routine on the planet, how can I tell her to get an ass like yours? Cause if I can’t have ya, at least I can have one that looks like yours.”

Gwen’s arm immediately reached for Blake’s to pull it around her torso, both in a protective measure for Mr. Johannes so that Blake wouldn’t murder him, and to get a little more standing support. Mostly, it was 99% the former. 

To Blake’s surprise, Gwen burst out laughing at his supposed joke. “She just needs to get into a ballet studio, it’s a wonderful workout. You’re such an amazing benefactor of ours, why don’t you send me her name and I’ll get her signed up for the summer session if she wants to try it out? On the house.”

“Excellent!” he exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air in joy. “And don’t you worry your pretty little head, I’ve already pledged six figures at the door for the season.” His smile was disgusting, but she kept her composure.

“Thank you so much for your support. It’s always meant so much to us, so much to Marianne over the years.”

“Nice to meet ya, son,” he turned to Blake, offering his hand. Gwen could have punched him when he didn’t immediately take it, but he gave in eventually. 

“Yes, hope you enjoy the rest of your evening,” he said stoically, but at least for now, he was calm. Mr. Johannes stepped away, getting lost in another conversation nearby. 

“Did you literally just let that guy slap your ass?” He asked, exasperated, as he looked down to Gwen.

“Did you just tell that guy I’m your company director??” She redirected. 

“We will talk about that in a minute,” he said, frustrated. “Is that what you do at these things? Let people do whatever they want as long as they give you money?”

“That’s not fair,” she said immediately. “I told you to keep your cool, whatever happens, this is not keeping your cool.”

“You’re lucky I’m not yelling this across the room right now, or better yet, decking that guy until he passes out,” he snapped. 

“He is one of the longest standing benefactors we have,” she said under her breath. “If one ass slap is how he gets his jollies to drop six figures, I can fucking handle it.”

“I don’t like this,” he said, shaking his head. “I hate this, actually. I’m not going to support this. What do you think Marianne would say if she knew?”

“Don’t you dare fucking use her against me right now,” she snapped. “It’s done. That’s the worst. So you can keep freaking out about it and ruin the rest of the night, or you can forget about it and we can do this later.” He wasn’t saying anything, he was focused too hard on trying to compose himself. “Hey, do you think I enjoyed that or something?” She asked, speaking up again. “It was fucking disgusting. I don’t want him to touch me. But I also don’t know how to do this, Blake, I’ve never had to try.” Her voice carried a higher pitch at the end, her determined face now wrinkled with worry. 

It seemed to soften him a bit, and he sighed. “What do you not know how to do?”

“This,” she motioned between them. “God, do you think all of those times I had to prance through here with Gavin, he even realized if and when someone grabbed me inappropriately? And do you think he cared, even when we were together?”

“That’s disgusting,” Blake said, disapproving.

“I know he is,” Gwen agreed. She paused, before continuing. “I’m not used to someone actually caring, or wanting to protect me. And I’ve taken a lot over the years by default. I just…please, before you judge me, before you throw Marianne in my face or get mad at me, I need you to cut me some slack.”

Before he could respond, a few others approached them and they both turned to face the new arrivals. Gwen’s smile and charm was back on, and he delicately kissed the top of her head - his way of saying _okay_ in those moments. As the new arrivals began to speak, she reached back discreetly and took his hand, squeezing it, letting him know that she got the message. 

“So now Blake, where you from?” one of them asked, his attention turning to him. 

“A little bit of everywhere these days,” he chuckled. “Originally Oklahoma. More recently Nashville, though.”

“Nashville!” He exclaimed. “Oh man. Gwen, dear, would you mind terribly if I stole this one from you for a bit? Guy stuff, you know?” He turned to Blake. “I’ve got some people who would love to meet you.”

“Of course,” she nodded her head and smiled. Blake looked at her a bit unsure, and she tugged him towards her so that she could whisper in his ear. “Go, you’ll be great. Just be yourself,” she said. “Come find me after.”

Blake nodded and reluctantly let himself be led away from Gwen, his eye on her until he was forced to turn away.

_10:14 PM, Evening of Gala_

The light early summer breeze was a lot more forceful than she remembered it, causing a shiver to go down her spine. Gwen was outside by herself now, body leaning into the balcony as her eyes rested on the city lights in the distance. One hand clutched a champagne glass, the other, a sealed envelope. 

“There you are!” a suddenly excited Blake called from behind which pulled her attention away. He walked up to her, a big grin on his face. “Gwen, I did it. Those guys we were talking to, they took me over to meet some people who were huge fans and…I totally landed a huge donation on my own!”

Her face beamed with pride, turning to hug him. “I’m so proud of you, cowboy. I told you that you could do it.”

“What’re you doing out here?” He asked.

“I just needed a minute,” she said, her arms crossing slightly as she stifled another shiver. 

As if on cue, Blake shed his tux jacket, draping it over her shoulders.

“Thanks,” she said softly. 

His eyes traveled to her hand, the one clutching the envelope. He recognized it after a moment. “You still haven’t opened it?” He asked. 

“I can’t,” she said, exasperated. “I’ve had it this whole time, since you handed it to me. Wondering if and when I would. And here we are, it’s been weeks.” She brought the champagne glass up to her lips and took a sip. “How stupid,” she remarked. 

Blake pondered for a moment, sipping his own champagne, his eyes resting on the city lights. He soon looked down, back to her, after he pondered his next move. “Do you want me to read it to you?” He asked. 

Gwen’s eyes widened a bit, not expecting him to make the suggestion. She looked down to the envelope in her hand, and felt like she was a third party watching herself as she handed it over to Blake. 

“Yeah,” she said quietly. Her eyes were glued to the envelope as Blake’s finger delicately ripped the seal.

“Are you sure?” He asked, giving her a final time to back out.

“Mmhmm,” she nodded. Her body shifted slightly away, facing back out towards the city view. She took another drink. His eyes kept on her for a minute, before he began reading.

__

_My dearest Gwen,_

_If you’re finding this letter, I’m sure that it means something has happened to me. First, I want to say if that is the case, try not to mourn me for too long. I know you, Gwen, and I know you hold onto things tighter than most because you’re terrified of losing things, or letting go. So if I’m gone, hold on to my memory, but don’t stop living your own life._

_The last few decades have really been something, haven’t they? I’ll never forget the day I sat down with you and your social worker, the first time you came to the studio. You were the tiniest little thing, scared of your own shadow and you wouldn’t speak to anyone. I remember you pressed your nose up on the glass window to watch the company dancers in rehearsal, and you wouldn’t let us take you anywhere else so we had to sit in the hallway to finish our meeting. And at the end, when I brought you over and asked you if you wanted to come back and dance, you put your arms around my neck and hugged me._

_I watched you grow from that tiny, shy little four year old into an incredibly strong, independent woman. You are easily one of the most beautiful and elegant dancers I have ever had the privilege of teaching, and I was always so proud to call you mine. You have so much love in your heart that is difficult for you to give. And I understand, you’ve been through hell and back with he-who-shall-not-be-named, the pain of not having Kingston around, and everything else that has happened over the years. But the thing is, you’ve never ceased to amaze me with how incredibly loyal you are as a friend, and how much you give to others. Don’t ever lose that._

_You care so deeply about Abbotsleigh. You are, without a doubt, the future of this company - and you are the heart and soul of it, too. There is nobody on the entire planet that I could ever imagine filling in my shoes. You understand the business, the politics, and you have the passion and the eye to continue to make sure the best talent is developed. If you are not already, you’re going to be the best damn Company Director I’ve ever seen. As such, I am seeing to it that 50% of the full entity - including Abbotsleigh Academy, Dance Company, Foundation, Not-for-Profit programs, and all other divisions and subsidiaries - be transferred to your ownership upon my passing. This is the highest form of gratitude I can think to offer you for being such an incredible blessing in my life, and making it worth living._

_The other 50% of the entity will be given to my favorite grandson, Blake Shelton. He’s turned out to be an incredible businessman, and is the only connection I have to my family that I believe will truly care about what we’ve built. He is going to need you, Gwen. He will need you to help him, guide him, and teach him how all of this works. And I have a feeling that you will grow to need him, too. Let him ground you. Let him in to see who you really are, because that person is beautiful and is worth sharing with the world. Unlike so many that have failed you, he has a genuine heart and can be trusted. Please take care of him for me._

_All my love,_

_Marianne  
_

The two of them stood there in stunned silence, Gwen’s eyes fixated on his as the tears rolled down her cheeks. As soon as Blake read the last of it, his eyes went up to meet hers.

“I’m sorry, I may have to lay off the champagne for the rest of the night,” Gwen began, setting her glass down. “Because I just heard you say the most insane thing that has ever come out of your mouth.”

“If you’re talking about the part where you own 50% of Abbotsleigh…that wasn’t the champagne talking.”

“ _What_ ,” she said, exasperated. The tears started filling her eyes up at an even more alarming rate, some of it even bordering on frustration. “That can’t be possible. She gave the company to you, and only you. When was that written?”

Blake rustled the paper back to the first page, his eyes widening. “Only 4 months ago.”

_And Blake, one more thing - take care of her, please._

The words from his own letter from Marianne hit him like a ton of bricks. It dawned on him so suddenly that the “her” she had referred to was Gwen, and not the company. It was the only thing that made sense in light of the new information from Gwen’s letter.

“Oh my god,” he breathed.

“What??” She asked. He was digging in his back pocket, pulling out his wallet. He opened it, retrieving the handwritten words Marianne had left him. Instead of reading it, he handed it over to Gwen instead. 

Without a word, she unfolded the paper and inhaled sharply as she recognized the handwriting. She pressed her lips together, maintaining her composure, as she read Blake’s letter. 

“Mine was longer, she loved me more,” Gwen said without warning, a hint of a smile pulling at her lips as she looked up to Blake. Both of them started laughing, and it seemed to ease the tension, even momentarily. 

“It doesn’t have a date on yours,” she said quietly, and then shook her head. “Blake, I’m not taking any part of this company away from you, she gave it to you.”

“We don’t know that,” he pressed. “The lawyer said the last time he met with Marianne about her estate was over a year ago. Your letter was written four months ago. And mine just says “the keys to my life’s work”, what does that even mean anyway? What if it has nothing to do with Abbotsleigh?”

“That makes no sense at all, Blake. Abbotsleigh _is_ her life’s work. She built this place from the ground up. Your letter could not possibly be referring to anything else.” She paused. “And I’m not doing it, I’m not taking ownership away from you. You’re her real family, I have no right to do that.”

“Obviously she considered you real family. Did you even hear half of what she wrote to you? That’s family, Gwen, whether or not you share the same blood.”

Silence fell as she swiped under her eyes, trying to catch most tears before they fell. She took another breath in, shakily letting it out. “She told us to take care of each other,” her voice was quiet. 

Blake didn’t say anything, instead moving forward and pulling her into a hug. Gwen felt her body melt into his arms, a brief relief of the tension she hadn’t realized she was holding. Her arms went around him, and the two of them held each other like that for a few minutes. 

“Earlier today, I would have said it’s easy to take care of you, but after your little performance, I now have a different perspective.”

She looked up to him, her eyebrow raised. “Oh? And what about you? You’re stubborn as hell.” She swiped another tear away.

“I think you like the challenge,” he said with a small, albeit sad, grin. 

“We need to go back inside,” she breathed, wanting to do anything but that. “We need to table this, we need to figure this out later.”

“I know,” he responded with a sigh. “Gwen?”

“Hmm?”

“We _will_ figure this out, you know. All of it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nope. You still can't relax, more drama is a'coming.
> 
> :)


	19. Seeing Red

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Take a deep breath. 
> 
> It will all be ok. Eventually.

_10:36 PM, Evening of Gala_

Upon reentry to the venue, they were both immediately approached and drawn into various conversations. It seemed that everyone wanted a piece of them that night - and not only was it good for business, but her little stunt at the performance seemed to be all the rage. It lessened her worry about the cultural arts snobs ripping them to shreds in the morning paper. 

Gwen spotted one of the final VIP guests that they needed to speak with, graciously excusing her and Blake from their current conversation. She began to lead them slowly across the floor, towards another couple. 

“Mr. and Mrs. Jones,” she whispered. “They’re billionaires and fund relief projects all over the globe. Veronica Jones is formerly Veronica Cassidy, she was a principal dancer for the New York City ballet for ten years. She’s a California girl though, and likes our company better. She’s convinced her husband to enjoy the arts. Incredibly nice people, just be yourself, you don’t have to fake anything with them.”

“Thank god, because I’ve done just about all of the ass kissing I can handle for one evening,” he said lowly, so that only she could hear.

“Welcome to ballet, cowboy,” she responded, before stepping forward. “Veronica!” She beamed with excitement, a genuine smile this time as the two women embraced in a hug. “I’m so happy you guys were able to come tonight.”

“Oh, yes darling, of course, I plan my whole calendar around your events!” Veronica exclaimed. Her voice lowered, discreetly looking down to the ground. “How’s your foot doing?”

“What do you mean?” She pressed with a smile.

“Come on, Gwen, you looked incredible tonight, but you can’t fool me.”

“Well I can’t feel anything right now,” she answered honestly. 

Veronica shook her head. “You shot it up. I figured. Please, for the love of god, will you let it rest after tonight?” She turned slightly to Blake. “Hey you, this one here. Make sure she’s on crutches by the morning, ok?”

Gwen rolled her eyes. “Veronica, this is Blake Shelton, Marianne’s grandson.”

“It’s an honor to meet you,” Blake said genuinely, holding out his hand for her to shake. Veronica moved forward, hugging him instead.

“Welcome to the ballet family, Blake, some of us are huggers here,” she joked. Blake laughed and returned the hug. “Do you dance at all?”

“He’s the best damn student I’ve had in class recently,” Gwen said sweetly, with a smile. 

Blake chuckled, a little flustered. “I uh, plan to leave all the dancing to this beauty next to me.”

“I don’t blame you, she’s darling on stage,” Veronica agreed. As usually happened with compliments towards her, Gwen’s cheeks began to flush pink as she diverted her eyes slightly. 

“Anyways...” Gwen deflected with a shrug, trying to divert the subject matter.

“Gah, so modest, which is unlike almost every other dancer in the world,” Veronica balked. 

“And what about you?” Gwen inquired. “You’re one of the greats, Veronica. Your technique is out of this world.”

She paused a beat. “Yeah, I am pretty great now, aren’t I?” She said, chuckling a bit. “What took you so long to find us? You know we’re the best time you’ll have around here. And we are a lot cooler than those other pretentious assholes.” She nodded her head nearby where Mr. Johannes was standing from earlier. 

“Mmm,” Gwen caught the meaning, and tried to deflect slightly. “Always a pleasure. Seems to have a new girlfriend, that one. But I can’t figure out if his wife knows about her yet.”

“Christ, it’s never a surprise anymore, he’s a man whore.”

“A man whore with deep pockets,” Gwen said in a super chipper voice. 

Blake watched them interact, quietly taking in all of this world. Part of him understood the conversation, but it also felt so foreign to him, too. The way Gwen handled it all amused him. Sure, she had come to these things for years, but it was a skill he didn’t have sharpened. 

“So Blake, tell me more about you, how’d you end up out here? You don’t look, nor sound, like a California surfer boy…” Veronica narrowed in on him, giving Gwen a chance to catch Alexander Jones’ eye.

Simultaneously, Veronica’s husband moved towards Gwen. “So very nice to see you again,” he greeted, his French accent evident as the two exchanged brief cheek kisses. “It was an excellent save tonight. Beautiful as always.”

“Thank you, always means so much,” she nodded with a smile. “We have a great cast this season, and we are really on top of our game with our creative staff. I love how we put so many of our own twists on the classics.”

“Yes, though such a shame that you all will be losing some soon,” he expressed sympathy with his words.

Gwen nearly choked on her champagne. She paused, wondering if she had really heard those words. “What was that?”

“Ahh, you know, Rossdale and Thompson, their new company. It will be a shame to lose them. And I think Cassandra is going with them too, right?”

“Excuse me?”

Blake and Veronica paused their pleasantries as Gwen’s voice was suddenly stark and agitated, their attention now on the exchange between Gwen and Alexander. 

Alexander looked to Veronica, whose eyes were wide, before he looked back to Gwen. 

“Oh dear,” was all he said. 

“What else has Mr. Rossdale and Mr. Thompson been telling you this evening?” She asked pointedly, and yet somehow, it still managed to also sound polite. 

“You hand’t heard?” Veronica asked, her eyes widening. “Gwen, they’ve been working the room all night. They said that you knew, that it was a planned amicable parting…”

Before Veronica could even get out the last word, Gwen was abruptly leaving the conversation. Blake lingered a moment, not expecting her to have gone running off so suddenly. 

“I’m so sorry, would you please excuse us?” He asked politely. “Thank you so much for coming tonight, I hope you enjoyed the performance.” He nodded, and ducked out of the conversation as his feet carried him after Gwen. Her eyes were locked in on the Rossdale-Thompson duo, and she was like a quiet hurricane heading right towards them. 

Gavin was in some conversation that seemed to quickly shift as Gwen arrived, but instead, she sided right up next to Brett. 

“Listen to me,” she said lowly. “I’m about to drag Gavin out by the ear. If you do not want me to come back and drag you out by the balls, I suggest you follow us.”

She didn’t wait for a response as she moved to the other side, and without saying anything to Gavin or the couple he was speaking to, forcefully grabbed him by the ear and locked in, causing excruciating pain. 

“Outside,” she practically barked, her one good leg kicking his shins to get him to start walking. And by the time they got up to the door, Gwen released his ear and shoved him the rest of the way outside. 

She was lightning fast, Brett and Blake only able to catch up as Gavin stumbled back a few feet onto the empty patio. 

“So do you want to start talking, or should I?” Gwen began, making her way over to him. “I could say a lot, but I’m incredibly interested in what you have to say.”

Gavin let out a chuckle. “I knew some of these mindless sheep couldn’t mind their own damn business, but what can you do about that?” Brett made his way over towards Gavin, and Blake lingered cautiously behind Gwen, internally debating if he needed to intervene. 

“You think this is funny?!” She practically screamed. “Everything makes sense now! You purposefully threw that poor girl to the ground to what, screw up tonight’s performance so that our reputation takes a hit so you can start your own fucking company? You might have ended her career tonight!” She caught her breath for half a second, before she continued her yelling and shoved him again. “And then you have the fucking nerve to come here as a representative of this company trying to steal donors for your own?! Marianne did everything for us! How fucking horrible do you have to be to do this to her?!”

“Marianne is _dead_ ,” Gavin emphasized. Those words alone caused Gwen’s entire to start shaking with rage, not helped by the following words from him. “And this company is turning into a barnyard hoedown. But what’s even funnier, is you’re standing here like you matter. Look at you, you’re even wearing her jewelry set because you are delusional enough to think that you’re the next Marianne.” 

In that moment, she lost complete control of her body. It was already shaking in anger, and she let a screeching scream as her body leaped forward, taking both her and Gavin to the ground, her knees pressing into his chest as his hands gripped tightly around his neck. 

“Jesus!” Blake exclaimed, surging forward, taking her at the waist as he tried to reason with her. “Come on, Gwen, he’s not worth this!” Though her grip was strong, Blake got her under his control and pulled her off of Gavin. Gavin sputtered on the ground and started coughing, all while Gwen fought to get out of Blake’s grasp.

“Damnit, let me go!” She said angrily, fighting against him.

“You’re a fucking animal!” He spat. “No wonder you’re never going to get to see your son again, you should be locked up!”

“AGH! Let go!” She screamed again, continuing to fight against Blake as Gavin just insisted on fueling her fire. She finally managed to break free, an immediate sprint in Gavin’s direction the only thing she was capable of doing. Before she could even get her hands on Gavin, Brett intervened and shoved Gwen to the ground. 

Blake immediately began seeing red, lunging forward. “Why the fuck did you do that?! She’s already injured!” Blake roared, shoving Brett so hard he stumbled backwards, and following that up with a punch across the jaw. He threw his hand up signaling for security, retreating and coming down to Gwen’s side. His hand went on her shoulder but she snatched away from it, instead electing to struggle to stand up, fleeing the scene altogether. 

“You both are banned from this company and anything that has to do with it, effective immediately,” Blake hissed, standing up. “Security is going to escort you out. And believe me, take this as a blessing that I don’t throw you both over that damn patio.” He looked to the guards. “Find whatever Cassandra person is with them, and I’m sure they are capable of relaying the same message.”

“I’d rather fancy a large payday,” Gavin remarked. “Make sure to have my contract paid out within 24 hours. Bank account is on file. Don’t fuck it up, redneck.”

“Contract?” Blake spat. “The one both of you broke repeatedly this evening? You purposefully injured and endangered a co-worker, worked against the interests of this company and violated your non-competes in doing so. We’re finished here, but you will be seeing us in court. I’ve got a whole lot of southern _buckeye_ money I’d love to pay to a lawyer to take you both down. Now get the fuck out of here, we’re done.”

Security grabbed both of them and escorted them away, and Blake sat there for a few more moments, breathing deep, reeling over all that had just transpired. He flexed his hand, suddenly sore from the break against Brett’s face.

_11:58 PM, Evening of Gala_

The ballroom had mostly cleared out, only left with the sounds of the catering and venue staff cleaning up in the background. Blake sat in the middle of the room at one of the tables by himself, slumped back in a chair as he was taking a break from trying to find Gwen. She had ran off after the altercation with Gavin, and was nowhere to be found. 

She hadn’t got back to the gala; it would have been easy to pick her out of a crowd. She wasn’t outside on any of the terraces of patios, he even went as far as to find Veronica Jones again to see if she was hiding in the ladies room. Maybe she went home somehow, or maybe she managed to find them again and make matters worse. Not knowing where she was and having to imagine all of the possibilities was killing him slowly. All he did know was that it didn’t make sense for him to leave without her. 

“Sir,” an older gentleman dressed in chef’s attire approached him timidly. Blake looked up when it dawned on him that it was Blake’s attention he was trying to get. “Sir, um, your wife…”

He was only confused at the _wife_ comment for a second before he bolted up straight, his eyes widening. “Gwen?” He asked immediately. “Where is she? Do you know?”

“She’s been hiding in the back for a while,” he replied. “But um, my team and I are about to leave for the evening, and I don’t think it’s a good idea to leave her alone back there.”

Blake shot up into a standing position. “Where?” He asked. The gentleman pointed to one of the doors leading into the back, and Blake almost forgot to mutter a thank you as he began jogging that way. 

He pushed through the doors, only some of the lights still on as he walked through the kitchen areas. His eyes traveled to a dark back corner, Gwen’s body slumped over a stack of large flour bags on the floor. He approached, kneeling in front of her. He reached down to take the empty fifth of alcohol bottle out of her hand. Her eyes were closed, and he was a bit worried when she didn’t seem to notice.

“Gwen,” he said, setting the bottle aside. His hand went to her face, inhaling a sharp breath as he gently brushed her disheveled locks back to reveal scrapes on her cheek that must have resulted from her last fall. “Gwen,” he said more insistently, his hand moving to her shoulder to shake her gently. Eventually she groaned, and he sighed relief. 

Blake sat on the ground with her, and continued to shake her some. “Gwen, come on, we need to go home. Can you sit up?” She groaned again, her eyes glossy as she barely opened them, and didn’t move from her position laying on top of the flour bag. She seemed catatonic, but it didn’t stop Blake from trying to wake her up. 

“What did you do?” He asked softly.

Her voice was throaty, groggy, even, as she managed the mumbled words. “Made the rest of me numb. Matches my foot.” 

He sighed. Realizing a conversation with her right then and there wouldn’t get either of them anywhere, he sat up on his knees a bit, scooping his arm under her knees, the other coming around her back. He stood up, adjusting her in his arms before he began to walk with her. Blake carried her all the way out to the car, laying her carefully in the backseat. He paused for a minute, looking at her face as it settled in against the backseat cushion. He moved forward and brushed away traces of flour from the bag she had previously been laying on top of, sighing to himself as he gently closed the car door. 

He didn’t care that this was how she reacted. He just wished he could have prevented everything. 

She didn’t move the entire way home, nor the time it took Blake to carry her into the house and lay her on the couch. He hesitated, watching her there for a few minutes before he got to work. He retrieved a few supplies from the bathroom, and grabbed one of his shirts. 

He sat on the couch with her and lifted the warm washcloth to her face, gently cleaning the wound there. It wasn’t soon before long that she groaned, jerking her head away to the side. 

“It’s just me,” he said. “You took a nasty fall, I need to clean the wound so it doesn’t get infected.”

Her glossy eyes opened a bit, resting on him as she let him continue. He moved the washcloth to her shoulder, cleaning another cut that he found there. 

“You don’t have to,” her words were at a whisper, and she swallowed as a twinge of pain drew her attention from her shoulder. Blake didn’t respond, continuing what he set out to do. He gently spread an ointment over the effected areas once he was through. 

“I’m going to get this dress off of you,” he said next. “Okay?”

Gwen nodded, finding it hard to keep her eyes open. Blake reached behind her and unhooked the halter from around her neck, then gently shimmied the rest of it down and off of her. He didn’t hesitate to slip one of his shirts over her head, and then pulled a thick blanket over her body and tucked it around her. 

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly, her eyes suddenly filled with tears as they looked up to him. 

“Shh,” he said, kissing her forehead. “Just go to sleep now. I’m not going anywhere.”

She shut her eyes, pushing a few of the tears down her cheeks, the combination of alcohol and exhaustion eventually winning out.


	20. Floaty

Her body was heavy - weighed down.

She was caught between waking up in reality and a dream, one of those terrible feelings of her body being paralyzed and unable to move. She felt the sudden sensation as if she was free falling, her stomach turning as she fought to come fully in the land of the living. It felt like an eternity, and yet no time at all as she finally fully regained control over her senses. 

Her body shook awake. She came into her surroundings, she was laying on her stomach on the couch. It was light outside. Her fingers flexed as she was about to push herself up, but wrestled paper instead. She clutched it in her hand, bringing it down in front of her as she shifted to lay on her side. The sudden pain that shot through her leg made her groan, giving up halfway turned instead.

“I thought you’d appreciate seeing the headline,” Blake’s voice broke through the silence, startling her. She looked over at him not too far away, relaxing on the overstuffed chair with a cup of coffee in his hand. 

Her eyes went down to the paper in her hand, focusing on it and confirming it was the cultural arts section of the newspaper - the one headline he knew she cared about that morning. There, on the front page, was a picture of her dancing the night before. And next to it, another picture that someone had managed to snap of her and Blake making the rounds at the gala afterwards - her arm was intertwined with his, their eyes on each other, smiles on their faces. 

“ _Stefani Saves the Show_ ,” she read aloud, and she let out a sigh of relief.

Blake sipped his coffee. “It was a good story,” he mused. 

“I should go,” she said, struggling to sit up a bit. “Get out of your hair.”

“Stop doing that,” he said, a bit harsher than he intended. “Stop pushing me away.”

Gwen just stared at him in shock over his words, her mouth moving slightly trying to formulate a response, but nothing was coming out - that is, until something decided to _burst_ out. “Then stop sitting there looking at me like that! Stop judging everything I do,” she gasped slightly as she caught her breath on her last words.

“Is that what you think I’m doing? You think I’m judging you?” He asked. “Or are you judging yourself?”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” she breathed. “How dare you even think you know anything.”

“Gwen, what are we even talking about? I don’t know what to say to you right now,” Blake admitted. “I’m not trying to give you a hard time, I’m really not, but you were reckless last night. And it scared me.”

“And what if that’s just who I am? What if that’s all I’ve ever known?” The tears began to fall down her face. “You don’t ask questions and you just jump to conclusions and I can’t handle it anymore, it’s too stressful trying to live up to this perfect image you have of me. Because I am a wreck most days, whether you see it or not. And I try not to be, but you’re suffocating me.”

She couldn’t help it, a combination of her frustration and the pain that suddenly surged through her leg, she grabbed onto her thigh with one hand as she yelped, and she began to break down crying. 

Blake had his coffee sitting on the table in an instant and he went over to her, sitting on the couch next to her. He gently wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly for a few silent moments. 

“I’m not judging you, Gwen, I will never do that,” he said eventually. She caught her breath, sniffled and swiped under her eyes, letting out a long exhale. 

“You had something to say about everything last night,” she responded softly. “You didn’t want me to dance, you didn’t want me to go to the gala, you didn’t want me to handle myself with that creep. You didn’t want me to punch the grin off of Gavin’s face and you didn’t want me to go back for seconds when he completely ripped everything apart like the reckless asshole that he is.” She winced in pain. “Ah, _fuck_ …” Her eyes shut tight as she gripped onto one of his arms as hard as she could, riding through the pain wave. 

“Hold on,” he said, kissing the top of her head and gently releasing her. He stood up and disappeared for a few minutes, coming back with a few things. First, he put ice on her foot as she let out a small whimper with the sudden cold against her. He held out a singular white pill, and a small glass of water. “I’m not letting you go anywhere, first of all. You’re going to stay here and let me take care of you,” he said. “Especially after you take this, you’re not driving. Okay?”

“What is it?”

“Leftover pain medication,” he said. “The good stuff. It will also probably help you calm down a bit.”

The last words pricked at her a bit but she took it, not in the mood to fight him anymore about leaving. She handed him back the glass of water half empty, and he set it aside. He went to his knees next to her, taking one of her hands into his. It was then she noticed the blood on his knuckles, and it took her a minute to place that it must have been from hitting Brett during the altercation. It made her feel suddenly worse about everything, another tear falling down her face as her mouth was agape slightly, her thumb gently tracing over it. 

“What am I missing,” he asked delicately. “What questions am I not asking, that you need me to ask?”

She didn’t look at him, and instead just shook her head profusely. 

“I need you to listen to me,” he said softly, and waited the few moments until he had her full attention, their eyes locked. “All of those things you said… _Jesus_ , Gwen. I didn’t want you to dance because I didn’t want you to get hurt. I didn’t want you to go to the gala, and shoot your foot up because you were already hurt and you might have made it worse. I don’t believe in letting someone touch you when it so obviously makes you feel uncomfortable but you feel obligated out of a misguided sense of loyalty. And Gwen, I _know_ he ripped you apart. I know he was trying to destroy everything. But as soon as you went charging after him, all I could think about was you getting hurt again - physically _and_ mentally. After everything you told me he did to you, after everything you’ve said he is capable of, I was so scared that it would make it all worse.”

Blake’s voice caught in his throat as he leaned his forehead down to touch her hand he was holding. He took a breath, and looked back up tp her before continuing. 

“I don’t know why it took me so damn long to figure this one out. I’m in love with you, Gwen. I always have been. Crazy, stupid, it’s all I can think about all day, love. But baby, you need to figure out how to _let me_ love you. Because you need to want to be loved.”

The tears continued to stream down her face, just looking at him stunned for a minute. It was a revelation she definitely was not expecting, she was really expecting them to continue disagreeing, but the sudden admission had softened her edge.

Her lip trembled. “It was like that all the time,” she managed. “What you don’t understand is that it was like that all the time. If I didn’t strangle him first, he would have grabbed me instead.”

“I would _not_ have let that happen.” His response was jarring, dripping in stoicism and defiance. There was a hint of anger behind his words, as his body seemed to tense. 

She swiped again under her eyes. “You haven’t always been here, Blake. I’ve been alone, and I’ve been the one needing to fight back.” She rolled her eyes. “And god, do you really think that was the first time Brett has shoved me?”

He looked at her, exasperated. “Wh…What about Marianne? You were practically her daughter. I can’t sit here and believe that she would have allowed for this, or that she wouldn’t have helped you.”

“Why would I tell her?” she asked quietly. “All that would have done was create more problems for her.”

“Gwen, you can’t honestly believe…”

“Where I’m from, you don’t cause issues,” she said. “You don’t understand. You have a family that loves you and raised you and gave you everything you needed. Marianne did that for me, but even as a child I knew better. I knew what it meant that she didn’t have to do any of it. I knew she could get sick of me one day and then I’d have nobody. I knew she didn’t owe me anything, she didn’t owe me dance classes, and if I didn’t have those and I probably would have ended up on drugs like the rest of the kids I grew up with. And when you came to town…” She inhaled sharply. “My god. If I got in the way of you two, or if we were around each other and didn’t get along, or a host of other things that could have gone wrong - who do you think that she would have chosen? It would have been you, Blake. And I was scared enough of that thought that for years, I tried to never even end up in the same room as you. But that hurt too, because you were a part of Marianne, and I wanted to. I really did. And I lied straight to her face every time she confronted me about avoiding her when you were around. She knew, but she just couldn’t understand.”

She sighed, suddenly exhausted from it all. “That’s all, Blake. I’ve told you everything now, and I just don’t know what more you want.”

His mouth was open and he was trying to find the words, but he just kept choking on air. He was processing, and with every breath he just fell deeper and deeper into sympathy. 

“Do you think any of that is normal?” he asked quietly. “The stuff about the violence.”

“I don’t know what to think,” she answered honestly, her voice breaking. “I just know what I’ve had to be prepared for.”

Silence fell again. It felt like an eternity. And then…

“You just need help,” he said, the only conclusion he could reach. “I can’t pretend to know what it feels like to think the only person that cares about you can disappear at any second - whether or not there is reason to believe it. But you really don’t know how to let yourself be loved. Not really. You even kept Marianne at arms length, in some ways.”

Her eyes closed shut tight, which forced a few more tears to fall down her cheek. She felt her cheeks flushing pink, a moment later her hand was covering her eyes. Blake reached up and gently pulled it away. 

“Stop, I’m embarrassed,” she said with a sharp inhale. He moved forward, his arms going around her. In a split second reaction, her arms went around his neck and she buried her face on his shoulder, hugging him back. Blake’s body relaxed noticeably as soon as she returned the embrace. A combination of the drugs hitting her system and his warm body engulfing hers suddenly brought about an intense calming effect, as she seemed to melt into him.

“I’ll work on it,” she whispered into his ear. “Please be patient with me. I mess everything up, I know that.”

“You haven’t messed anything up,” he said reassuringly. “I’m going to show love to you. I’m going to help you know what it’s like to be cared for. And I’m going to do it so much that soon enough, you’ll just be used to it and it won’t be an issue. If you’ll let me.”

She exhaled deeply, clinging just a bit tighter to him. “Can you take back what you said earlier?”

“What part?” He asked.

“The part where you said that I scare you.”

He sighed. “That wasn’t what I meant. There is a big difference between being scared _of_ someone, and being scared _for_ someone.” 

She pulled out of the embrace, and quietly nodded. “You don’t have to sit on the ground,” she said. 

“S’okay, I’m comfortable here.” He caught her yawning, and he reached to the chair nearby and snagged one of the pillows, and fluffed it on the couch for her. Without any words exchanged, she shifted carefully, lowering herself. Her head went on the pillow, and she yawned again. The combination of a rough late night and drowsy medication was not conducive to her motivation to stay sitting up, after all. Blake shifted up a bit to be next to her, his arm resting against her body as he pushed back golden locks behind her ear. 

“Are we okay?” She asked, voice quiet.

“I hope we’re more than okay,” Blake admitted. “I did lie earlier though. When I said you haven’t messed anything up…well, you did a number on that foot of yours. But we’ll figure it out.”

“That was the last time I’ll be on that stage,” she breathed. 

“You don’t know that,” he replied. “Darla is calling today for an appointment to get X-rays. She said she can probably get you in by tomorrow, and we’re going to take it one day at a time. You’re also going to get very comfortable on this couch because I’m taking care of you.” He kissed her on the cheek.

She sighed, swiping under her eyes again. “I suppose all of my work I can get done on my laptop,” she said. “But I can’t teach from here. Who’s going to teach my classes? I need to teach…”

“One day at a time,” he reminded her. “You worry too much. X-rays first. Darla dropped off the crutches you promised her that you’d use, and I don’t see why you can’t be set up on my office couch if you _really_ need to go into the studio…”

“Yeah, let’s do that…”

“… _after_ you take at least a few days off to rest here,” he added. “Why don’t you call James or Amanda to cover your classes for the next few days.”

“Daisy is going to worry. I’ve never missed a class in my entire life.”

“I will go and visit Daisy before her class.”

Gwen sighed, desperately wanting to argue, but she bit her tongue at the last minute. “Fine,” she forced herself to say. “I’ll stay here for a few days.”

“That wasn’t so hard, now, was it?” Before she could respond, his hand rested on her good cheek and he placed a kiss on her lips. 

“Or you’re just lucky we’re having this conversation after you drugged me,” she said sweetly, her eyelids heavy. “Speaking of, _fuck_ , that stuff is strong.”

Blake chuckled. “I’ll take what I can get.”

“Maybe…you…should call Amanda or, or James,” she said, as she felt the full effects of the narcotics pulse through her veins. “Because I think I’m going to lay down now.”

“You’re already laying down, sweetheart,” he said, trying his best to hold back a chuckle. He reached back, retrieving the blanket to pull over her as soon as he realized that she would not be lasting much longer. 

“Oh,” was all she said at first. “So you’ll call them?”

“I’ll call them,” he promised.

“Give them my money.”

“What?”

“My money. The kids need food to take home.”

“I’ll take care of that, I promise.”

“And Bella’s new ballet slippers. I found a pair in her size, they’re on my desk. The Capezios.”

“I’ll make sure she gets them.” He actually had no idea what she was on about, now he just hoped Amanda or James would understand. 

“It’s important. It’s dangerous to dance in socks.”

“Then why did you make me do it?”

She grinned sweetly. A moment later… “Amanda needs to sew the elastics.”

“I’ll let her know.” Now he was really lost. 

“I feel floaty.”

“That’s how this usually goes,” he said. “You can close your eyes if you want.”

“Blake.”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you…” She paused. “…for loving me.” They were soft, barely spoken words that were able to escape before the meds won her over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew. That was a lot. Can you believe we are already at chapter 20?? #QuarantineLife
> 
> Don't worry, you are totally going to get a reward in the next chapter.


	21. Reward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I said you would get a reward for the drama...enjoy ;-)

She felt almost human again, despite the rough night. With a little help from Blake, she had managed to shower and get all of the makeup off her face. She changed into fresh clothes, opting for a pair of cozy joggers, a sports bra, and a muscle tank. She was relearning the crutches again, only using them the first time to get out to the car as Blake had been insistent on helping her with movement around the house. 

Blake pulled up near the entrance of the doctor’s office to drop her off, soon rejoining her and walking protectively close to her as they walked inside to check in. Gwen hadn’t even sat down in the waiting room yet before they were calling her to the back, she looked at Blake.

“Come with me,” she said. “Please.”

The nurse wheeled out a wheelchair for her, a welcome relief which she took, handing the crutches to Blake. They were whisked through triage, the exam, and then even the imaging center was a whirlwind - all in comparison to the hardest part now, which was the wait.

Gwen was sitting up on the exam table, her leg out in front of her straight, the other dangling off the side. Blake came over to stand next to her, his arm going behind her, a gentle kiss on her head. 

“Whatever they say, we’ll get through it,” he reminded her. 

“I already know,” she responded. “They all say you know when it’s the end. Marianne knew when it was her time to stop dancing.” She reached for his other hand, squeezing it tightly, then looking up to him. “There was a reason she was teaching me the business. The day was coming. And it’s weird, because one minute I’m scared of it, and the next I’m okay with it. Part of me wants that doctor in here right now, and part of me never wants her to come in.” She let out a breath. “But Blake, I swear to you, I will do everything in my power to make your company at least as much of a success as she did, if not more, if you’ll let me do that. If you were serious and you meant that you wanted me to be your Company Director.”

“ _Our_ Company Director,” he corrected. 

She sighed. “I told you I wasn’t going to take any of it from you,” she said. “This doesn’t change that.”

“I’ve already sent the letter off to her estate lawyer,” he explained. “And he’s going to look into it further. Because I know that is her handwriting, and those were her last wishes. And I’m going to honor them.” He let out a breath. “Frankly, you deserve 100% ownership of the company. You’re the one that knows how to do all of this. You’re the one that’s held everything together.”

“Don’t you dare,” she warned. “You don’t get to feed me a line about Marianne’s last wishes and not wanting to defy them, and in the next breath you talk about actually defying them.”

“Ok, that’s fair,” he agreed. 

“I don’t want to fight,” she admitted. “Not about this. Not about anything. I’m fine with how things are right now. I’m just saying, I don’t _need_ to own anything.”

There was a knock at the door. 

“We’ll call the lawyer in a few days,” he said. “Together. We’ll talk to him together, we will figure this out together.”

The doctor entered. “Ms. Stefani,” she greeted, offering her hand. “Good to see you again, though I wish it were under better circumstances.” The doctor moved over to the monitor, displaying the x-rays up before she continued. “You’re going to have to stay off of that foot, at least 6-8 weeks on crutches.”

She sighed. “So, what’s wrong?” She pressed for the news.

“If this was a normal foot I was looking at, I’d be terrified,” she said. “But you’re a professional dancer. It’s different.” She paused. “I have no doubts that you’re going to walk normally again. But it’s too early to tell if you’ll be able to dance at the same level that you have been. I don’t want to make any guesses, but I think you’re going to be eventually limited in what you can do.”

She nodded once, keeping herself contained, as she exhaled. 

“You have four stress fractures on the metatarsal bones in your foot,” she said, pointing them out one by one. “If I were to guess, the pain from one or two of them caused you to overcompensate and caused the others. One of them looks severe, and is the one we really need to keep an eye on. Also, after your exam, I think you have a mild to moderate case of Achilles Tendonitis again. We don’t need to go the surgery route at this point, but we are going to cast you today. And that should also take care of the achilles.” She paused. “Do you have any thoughts? Questions?”

“The pain is unbearable. Can you help with that?”

“No problem, I’ll have something sent over to the pharmacy we have on file for you.”

“What’s next?” She asked, feeling Blake's hand gently rubbing her back. It sidetracked her for a moment as she leaned her head against his shoulder some.

“I’ll send someone in to cast you, and we’ll have you back here in a few weeks time for more x-rays. In the meantime, you need to stay off of that leg as much as possible. Ok?”

“Don’t worry about that, Blake doesn’t even let me walk anymore,” she joked stiffly. 

“Well, Blake is doing a good job, then,” the doctor agreed. 

“See? I’m doing a _good job_ ,” he proclaimed with a grin. 

“I’ll keep you around a while longer,” she responded, with a roll of her eyes. 

“We’re a little short staffed today, so it might be a little while before the nurse comes in.” As soon as the doctor said her goodbyes and the door closed, Blake looked down at Gwen.

“Well, that settles it, you’re moving in for the foreseeable future.”

“Blake, what, no, I can’t do that,” she shook her head.

“What other option do you have? How are you going to get up and down those stairs at your apartment?” He paused, before he let it slip that she didn’t exactly have anyone else. He went with a different direction instead. “And what about that thing you promised to work on?”

She sighed, as she internally struggled after hearing him pull out that last statement of his. “Okay,” she managed, her eyes closed and her face slightly scrunched as if it was physically painful to give in to him. 

“Good girl,” he said, pecking a kiss on her cheek. 

She stopped, her eyes going up to him. There was something about the way he said those words to her that made her shudder, made her do a double take. Her head cocked slightly, looking up at him. “Say that again?” she asked sweetly. 

He caught the sudden darkness in her eyes, and he had to stifle a chuckle. “So those are the magic words, hmm?” He reached forward, tucking a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. His palm rested on the back of her neck as he kissed her, deep and slow. 

“Just something about the way you said it,” she responded quietly. “I liked it.”

His other hand went to the place where her tank top met the waistband of her joggers, and he lightly teased the bare skin he found there, as he kissed her again.

"You liked it, hmm?" he asked. 

Gwen let out a shaky breath, kissing him again, willing his hand to go where she wanted it, and not where it currently was. "There might be a few other things I would _really_ like right now..."

His breath was hot against her ear, desire nearly overwhelming her. “You have to earn those words,” he said. “I don’t just give them out to anyone who asks.”

“I’m not just _anyone_ …” she insisted, and kissed him again. “Give me a way to earn them,” she said. His hand moved slightly lower, now teasing the top of her underwear line, one finger slowly moving under the fabric. 

“Relax,” he breathed against her neck, placing a few kisses there.

“That’s not fair,” she whined. “I can’t relax when your hand is where it is right now, cowboy.”

The rest of his hand moved under the thin fabric, but he still would not go as low as she desperately needed him to in those moments. Her body was pulsing, her pelvic bone trying not to buck up at him under his touch, but her small movements to try and force him down lower were impossible to contain. 

“Then I guess you don't get to hear me say it again,” he said into her ear, placing a kiss on it. He tortured her a little longer before his finger easy glided down in one quick motion and he began massaging her clit.

“Fuck,” Gwen said, fisting her hands to keep her inevitable jolting contained. 

“Your underwear is _wet_ ,” he whispered, right before he let another one of his fingers slip down with the first. “We should see if we could get them soaked.”

“What if…” she breathed, obviously affected by his touch. “What if someone…”

“That’s half the fun,” he said. “Or, I guess you’ll have to work extra hard to speed things up…”

She let out a shaky breath, her head snapping back as two fingers entered her.

“You’re killing me. I need more, please,” she begged quietly, as her head laid back against the propped up table she was on. He took her arm closest to him and stretched it above her head, giving her something to hold onto, pressing her hand against the edge so she could grip onto it.

"Don't let go," he said, as his hand snaked into her tank top from the deep cut out sides, teasing her nipples hard in record time as he moved against the two, making sure not to lose rhythm with his other hand. He worked his fingers in and out, curling them as two of his other fingers took hold of her clit again. “God, Blake, I’m getting so close, you have no idea…”

“Relax and let go, baby,” his lips were on her neck once more and he quickened his pace, and it only took a few moments to pass before he felt her body shake underneath him as she rode out the orgasm. 

He gently withdrew his fingers, massaging her clit as she came down from the high, easing up when she began to whimper from overstimulation. He pressed his lips on hers, then proceeded to whisper in her ear.

“ _Good girl_ ,” he emphasized, kissing her cheek.

“That…was better than any pain medication. Fuck.”

The sound of the doorknob turning caused Blake to abruptly retract his hand from her underwear, and caused Gwen to jolt up to a full sitting position. 

“Hello, I’m Nurse Whitney,” a young woman, probably around Gwen’s age, walked into the room carrying a few things. She glanced to Gwen, a look of slight concern on her face. “Ms. Stefani, you look flustered, are you feeling alright?” she asked. 

“I’m fine,” she said immediately, and almost too quickly. Blake was hiding his grin, and reached down to take her hand in his. 

“She just gets a little hot sometimes,” he covered for her. “Nothing a little fresh air won’t fix after we’re done here, I’m sure.”

Gwen let out a breath, and tried offering the nurse a small smile as her head shyly leaned against Blake's shoulder. 

“I understand, doctor’s offices are stuffy,” the nurse said. “Alright then, let’s get you cast up.”


	22. Sprinkles

_4 days post-gala_

She almost jumped off the couch at the sound of Blake coming through the front door, out of sheer excited anticipation. Gwen was freshly showered, wearing leggings and a hoodie, cuddled up under one of the blankets, leg elevated. Exactly where she had been for the past few days, without protest, to Blake’s surprise. 

“One chocolate doughnut with sprinkles,” he handed her a small bag. “One small black coffee.”

“The upside to my career ending,” she said with a grin. “Sprinkles.”

“Annnnd…” Blake set his own coffee down on the table, proceeding to take the backpack off of his back to reach inside. “One particular laptop for a workaholic ballerina.”

“Gimme gimme!” She made grabby hands at him, all but forgetting the doughnut and coffee. Blake chuckled, shook his head and granted her wish, handing her the laptop. She practically squealed as she pressed the on button, powering it up. 

“You are allowed to take time off, you know,” Blake chimed in. Gwen looked over at him, over the top of her reading glasses. 

“Don’t you want to know how we did?” she asked. “I’ve been dying to know. And you promise that you didn’t sneak a peek, right?”

“I promise, darling, I didn’t even try to make sense of your ballet mumbo jumbo.”

Abruptly, and much to Blake’s surprise, she closed the lid of the laptop. “Come here,” she said, her tone now changed. It was more serious, and brought him over to her. He took a seat on the ground next to the couch, facing her, his eyes not leaving her. He wanted to ask what was going on, but restrained himself from doing so.

She took his hands into hers. “I need to say a few things first,” she pressed her lips together, soon after letting out a breath. “Blake, I’m so proud of you. I’m so proud of all the work you put into this, and all of the time you spent trying to integrate into a world that you probably have no interest in. If Marianne were still here…god, she’d be balling her eyes out with pride.” She offered him a small smile. “No matter how we did, or what’s coming, I want you to know that you have me by your side. Always.”

Her words were so tender, so genuine, he had to remind himself to breathe, lest he get lost in them. He took a deep breath to maintain his composure. 

“Another thing,” she said a bit quieter, her eyes downcast. “Because it’s really bothering me, actually.” She exhaled, squeezing his hands gently as she wrestled with her next words. “You saw a really ugly version of me that night. And that’s not who I am. I just lose my mind, and myself, when I’m near his toxicity.” A beat. “I feel awful that you had to see that. It’s not what I want you to see when you look at me.”

“Gwen, if only you could see what I see when I look at you,” he huffed in exasperation. “I can’t even explain it. And, please don’t let that bother you. There is not a side of you that is going to scare me away. Not a chance.” He paused. “He really messed with you, I know that. But maybe someday, I’ll be someone who you can trust to help not let the toxicity take hold of you.”

“You already help,” she confessed. She tugged at him. “Come up here with me, let’s look together.”

He smiled, rising to a standing position. Gwen gently moved herself down on the couch, keeping her leg steady as she made room for him. As soon as he sat down, she fit perfectly tucked under his right arm. She opened the laptop up, and navigated into her e-mail.

“Jesus, 241 emails unread,” the mumbled, as she began going through them. “This is what happens when your Company Director isn’t allowed to check email,” she said sweetly. 

“Sometimes Company Directors need to take a day off,” he retorted, kissing the top of her head. She deleted some, dropped others in folders, all in search of a specific one with a certain Excel spreadsheet she had been pining for. She found it, and hovered over it. 

“This is it,” she said nervously. “Blake, you open it,” she pulled her hand away from the trackpad. 

He chuckled a little, reaching his other arm around. “This one?” He hovered the mouse over the document, and she nodded. He clicked to open it.

“Scroll down to the bottom,” she said hurriedly, the nerves getting the better of her. “No, the summary page, the other bottom…no not there, ugh…” She took control of the laptop back over, losing her patience completely as her stomach turned in knots. Blake just chuckled, amused by it all. 

“Blake…” her voice was too hard to get a read. “How many figures is that number?”

He glanced at the spreadsheet. “Eight. Is that good?”

“This has to be a mistake,” she said immediately, scrolling up. She wasn’t a math whiz, but she glanced over the lines of the spreadsheet - the names of the donors next to their respective donations. “It’s not a mistake,” she realized, and now she was in shock. Before Blake could even question and press her further, she squealed and actually bounced up and down, her body turning up towards him as her arms flew around him.

In the state of her uncontrollable excitement, she moved her foot just a little too fast. “Ow, ow, ow,” her one hand came down to hold onto her leg as she rode out the pain, Blake meanwhile torn between chuckling just watching her reaction and feeling bad she hit her foot. 

“Gwen, words, use them!” He exclaimed. “Carefully. With your foot down, please.”

“We’ve never done eight figures,” she said, the shock obvious in her voice. “We got within $200K of it once, but oh my god, how is this even possible?”

“This girl I know running the whole thing, she’s pretty smart,” Blake shrugged, and grinned. 

“If I can’t perform again…this…” she exhaled. “This was worth it. This is record breaking.”

She stretched back, laying across Blake’s lap and reaching her arms up behind her. She seemed suddenly so at peace, as she soaked it all in. Suddenly her eyes opened wide. 

“We need all new studio floors,” she said with a gasp. “Oh, and lights. We can get those super fancy new studio lights for the company rooms.” Her eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store.

Blake chuckled, shaking his head and looking down at her. “Whatever you want, Gwen, it’s yours.”

“Mmm,” she pondered for a moment. “There’s only one thing I really _want_ , though.”

“Oh?”

“You,” she said softly. He didn’t hesitate to lean down and kiss her in those moments. 

“Well, lucky for you, that doesn’t even have an impact on your studio floor budget.”

She propped herself up slightly, her elbows on the chair of the couch, using one finger to _come hither_ his lips back to hers. She kissed him softly, then more forcefully, soon pulling herself all the way up. She kissed him again, and he pulled back slightly. 

“Your leg,” he reminded her. “We need to be careful.”

She sighed. “It’s so hard when I just want to straddle you and let you rip my bra off again,” she said, the innocence pricking in her voice. 

Blake groaned. “I promise, the day you are off the crutches, you will not be able to get my hands off of you.” He paused. “That is, unless you don’t want them on you and you say so, then I will respectfully withdraw them.”

Gwen couldn’t help but burst out laughing. She shook her head. “Cowboy.”

“ _What?_ ”

“Don’t tell me you’re enforcing another ‘hands off’ rule,” she sighed. “The first one was too hard. And it’s not like we’re working like crazy anymore…”

He groaned. “If I was smart, I probably would. But I’m stupid into you, so we’ll just have to play it by ear.”

She laughed and shook her head. 

“I think tonight, we’re celebrating,” he declared. “I’ll cook dinner, just the two of us. How does that sound?”

“Dangerous,” she admitted.

“Oh?”

“Don’t let me get used to this.”

“I already told you that was the master plan - to get you used to this.”

She closed her eyes briefly, and just shook her head. She shifted slightly in his lap, groaning a bit. 

“My back is killing me,” she said with a sigh. “I need to get off this couch and stretch out on the bed.” She paused. “Will you come with me?”

“Of course.”

She pushed up to a sitting position, sneaking a bite of her sprinkle doughnut as she waited for Blake to stand up, already expecting his help. He didn’t really give her the crutches much for just around the house, electing instead to help her hop down the hall on one foot. She took his hands and stood up, clutching them tight as she felt a bit disoriented. 

“Ugh,” she said, shaking her head. “All of this resting is getting to me.”

“It won’t be forever,” he reminded her. He dipped down a bit so that her arm could easily come up around his neck, and she began hopping down the hall, as his hand secured her in close to him at the waist. 

“Will you take me with you to the studio tomorrow?” She asked. “Please? I’ve had enough time at home.”

“Mmm…” he said. “We’ll see how you’re feeling in the morning.”

“I told you I promised to just sit on the couch all day,” she reminded him. 

“I know,” he said. “But if I’ve learned anything about you, you overdo everything you put your mind to.”

“People used to think that was a good thing,” she mumbled.

He let out a chuckle. “Still impossible.”

She let go of him as soon as she reached the bedside, carefully turning herself around to lower onto the bed. She immediately took advantage of the extra room, turning slightly onto her stomach as she elongated her back. She groaned and sighed, as she struggled to find relief. Blake walked around to the other side of the bed, gently lowering himself onto it, and came up behind her.

“Come ‘ere,” he said softly, his hand resting on her hip. He gently pulled her back towards him a bit. “Where does it hurt?”

“Everywhere,” she practically whined. 

He tugged at the hem of her tank top. “Can I take this off?”

“Yeah.”

He slid the shirt up, Gwen assisting when it needed to go over her head. He ran his hand gently down her bare back, stopping at the curve of her lower back and bringing both hands to rest there as he gently began kneading his thumbs into her.

“Ohhh…” the sound escaped her lips without intending it to. A few moments passed, before she spoke up. “How did you know?”

‘What?”

“That was exactly where I needed it,” she said. “And my shoulders are on fire.”

“I’ve had a few back injuries in my day,” he explained. “I know how finicky your back can be if you don’t use it normally for a few days, and it usually starts hurting in the lower back area first.”

“Ooof,” she said, even though she meant a totally different word. He gave her lower back a break after a few minutes, and gently worked his way up to her shoulders. “Arrrgghh…”

“Am I hurting you?”

“No, it’s just really tight,” she sighed. “It’s helping. Thank you.”

He continued to massage her in silence, being careful not to exert too much pressure or force. He felt a few very prominent knots under his fingers, which he took special care working around. After about ten minutes, he found the courage to speak up about something he had internally wrestled with for a few days to bring up.

“Hey Gwen?”

“Yeah?”

He hesitated, as his hands continued to work on her. “I uh, wanted to know more about something. And if you don’t wanna tell me, it’s ok. And maybe it’s really stupid of me to go there…”

She cut him off. “…what do you want to know?”

He sighed. “I just keep thinking about what you said the other day,” he began. “When you mentioned that I had a family that loved me growing up, and how that implied that you didn’t, and…” another sigh. “And I wanted to ask about them. But I don’t want to upset you, either.”

“You mean my parents?”

“Yeah.”

Blake felt Gwen’s body inhale a deep breath, letting it out a few moments later. She turned towards him on her back, which caused him to stop massaging for the time being. Her eyes locked with his, almost as if she was feeling him out about the subject.

“Are you sure you really want to know?” she asked, observing any detail of a response he might give off. 

“Only what you feel comfortable telling me,” he responded. 

She nodded once, and rolled back onto her stomach. Blake took that as a cue he was safe to continue massaging her back, and did so.

“I don’t know who my father is, he was long gone before I was born,” she started off quietly. “My mother was a drug and sex addict with a different guy in her room most nights. I was just content when they stayed in her room and didn’t try to come to mine.”

The implication of her last statement felt like a punch to his gut, but he didn’t dare interrupt. 

“I haven’t seen her since I was sixteen,” she added. “The history with Marianne and living here a lot of the time became a permanent temporary solution. I was four when I was separated from my mom the first time. I don’t remember much, but that was how I met Marianne, like she said in the letter. All I remember was hugging her and feeling so safe in that. Growing up is a huge blur, a few years after that I was separated again and put into an actual foster home. I ran away to Marianne’s every night. Same thing happened in the third and fourth placements, Marianne always joked that I bullied Social Services into letting me live with her.”

Blake couldn’t help but chuckle a little bit. “Sounds like you.”

“Why do you ask?”

“I think it helps me understand you a little better,” he said. “Where you come from. And you don’t have any other family?”

“None that I know of,” she said, before pausing. “You don’t have to feel sorry for me, you know. It’s not like I lost something really important that I used to have. I’ve just…never had family in the sense that you understand what family is. And that’s not to say I don’t want family, either. It would just be an adjustment.” She exhaled deeply, before continuing. “I think at one point though, I was so obsessed with the idea that I ended up with someone like Gavin. Desire can be dangerous.”

He listened intently, his hands continuing to work. They only stopped when she turned into him again, her eyes meeting his. 

“I haven’t really told anyone that before,” she breathed. 

“How do you feel about it?”

“I’m okay,” the response came with a singular nod. Her eyes remained for a few moments before she reached to pull his arm around her instead, his body sinking next to hers. He placed a kiss on her cheek, lingering a few moments longer than expected. His arm secured deliberately around her as her back pressed slightly into his chest. 

“What do you want out of life, Blake?”

“Mmm,” he thought for a minute. “Really, nothing fancy. I suppose all I really want is to have someone in my life that I am so deeply in love with that I can’t think straight, and she’d have me completely whipped and I’d be a sucker and do anything for her,” he chuckled. “A family of my own. Comfortable life - don’t need to be rich or anything.”

“That’s what all the rich people say,” a small smile and a laugh were tugging at her features to contain. 

“I mean it though. I don’t need expensive trucks or private jets, whatever. I just want enough to live comfortably, and provide for a family to do the same.”

“Do you want to create music again?”

“Hmm,” he said, considering it as he did not anticipate the conversation steering in that direction. “That’s hard to answer. I love it, but that has particular memories attached to it. I’m not sure if I’d want to go back. Not sure if it’s worth it.”

Silence filled the room as they both pondered his statement. 

“I hope that you’ll play me some of your songs sometime,” she said. “If you’re up for it.”

A smile came to his features. “I’d love to.” He paused. “How about you? What is it that you want?”

“I didn’t really think a lot about it until recently,” she began. “When you hold on too tight to things that you want, and they don’t happen, it’s a constant disappointment. I didn’t want to set myself up for that. Obviously, you know I want King with me. He’s always going to be the most important. I just really hope he knows how much I love him and how much I think about him all the time. I have this fear that he’s going to forget about me some day.” She sighed. “As far as things that at least have a slim possibility of happening…well…” her words trailed off. “I just want to feel like I do right now. Safe and content. I don’t take it for granted.”

“He knows,” Blake assured her. “You can’t hide love like that, and you proudly wear it as a badge. There’s no way he is oblivious to it.”

Gwen hummed in response. She gently stretched her back as he held her, suddenly feeling a bit restless.

“Sorry, my body doesn’t know how to stay still for this long.”

“S’okay,” he said. “I just appreciate that you’re trying. Because if I wasn’t here, I’d bet you would be running all over the studio right about now.”

She chuckled. “If it didn’t hurt this badly, you’re right,” she said. “Contrary to what you believe, though, I do understand that it’s a serious injury and I need to slow down.” She paused. “Hey Blake?”

“Hmm?”

She grinned up to him sweetly. “Could you pretty please get me my sprinkle doughnut I left in the living room?”

He chuckled. “How can I resist that?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All of your comments and love both here and on twitter (@xoelectric) give me life! Thank you guys so much.


	23. Alias

_5 days post-gala_

Blake probably wouldn’t admit it, but he actually felt better about the fact that he had brought Gwen to the studio with him that day. While he wanted her to take some time off, he selfishly felt more at ease with her all set up on the couch in his office with him. Anything she needed, she could ask him for, and not risk getting hurt. 

He purposefully chose the quickest take out to pick up for lunch, making sure not to be gone too long. Gwen stayed mostly oblivious to his underlying overprotective mood, typing most of the morning away on her laptop as she caught up on the business. The pain medication knocked her out for about an hour after lunch, as the typing got slower and she eventually passed out. Blake took it as an opportunity to take a walk around the building, catching up on a few things himself. 

Like clockwork, he arrived to the studio where Daisy was set to arrive and take class to keep his promise to Gwen. She had missed the last class earlier in the week, which Gwen had mentioned was strange, so even he was a bit worried and wanted to make sure she was there today. He poked his head in and looked through the children that had arrived, most of which were running around as he expected. His eyes went to the corner adjacent to him, spotting a little girl with her back turned that looked like her, talking with Amanda. He stepped inside, making his way over to them, and it was soon he discovered the conversation was not a good one. 

As he approached, the sound of Daisy hysterically crying punched him in the gut, and his face fell instantly with worry. 

“N..nn..nooo,” she cried. “Where is she? She has to be here!”

“Honey, she hurt her foot dancing. She’s at home resting today.”

“But she’s going to die! I have to see her! I need to see her!” the little girl was having trouble breathing as she kept trying to catch her breath, the tears streaming down her cheeks and filling her eyes. 

“Hey now,” Blake said, walking up to them after catching Amanda’s eye for a second. He kneeled down to her level. “I came to check on ya, what’s going on?”

As soon as Daisy heard Blake’s voice, she whipped around, losing interest immediately in Amanda. “Where’s Ms. Gwen?! I need to see Ms. Gwen! Where is she?! I don’t want her to die!” Her crying intensified.

“Ms. Gwen isn’t going to die, sweetheart, she’s completely fine, I promise,” he said. “Come ‘ere.” She went running into Blake’s arms immediately as she broke down crying again, her little arms clinging around his neck. Blake looked over to Amanda, and motioned that he was stepping outside with her. He stood up with Daisy in his arms, and brought them both outside of the studio, setting her down gently on a bench. He went onto his knees in front of her, trying to catch her gaze. 

“I missed class and Ms. Gwen died and I didn’t even get to say goodbye,” the pitiful words spilled out so heartbreakingly. 

“Daisy, honey, I promise Ms. Gwen is okay,” he reiterated. 

“Then why isn’t she here?? She’s always here!”

He sighed, keeping his composure even as his heart was breaking for the trauma this little kid was putting herself through. “Ms. Gwen was dancing and she hurt her foot. She’s just resting. I wouldn’t lie to you, little one. I promise she’s ok.” He looked into the classroom as he heard James starting to calm the kids down for the start of class. “Do you want to go back inside? I think they’re starting class. You love your class.”

“No,” she shook her head, still crying some. “I just want Ms. Gwen.”

He thought about it for a moment and sighed, realizing there was no convincing her at that point. “Is your schoolbag inside?”

“Yeah,” her lip trembled. “It has Elsa and Anna on it.” Thankfully, Blake’s brain was able to retrieve far back into his memories from visiting his extended family over the holidays to remember who the two characters were. “Okay. I’m going to go get it and be right back, and then I’m going to take you somewhere, but only if you promise to be super, extra careful. Ok?”

She nodded in response, a little intrigued, but not totally bought in just yet. Blake slipped into the studio, and went digging through the pile of backpacks on the ground. Amanda made her way over briefly as James led the class, pointing it out for him. He nodded a thanks, and dipped out once more. He went back to Daisy, and held his hand out for her, which she took. 

The two of them walked down the hall, hand in hand, with her small schoolbag hoisted over Blake’s shoulder. While Daisy still had tears running down her face, her crying was noticeably softer as they continued to walk. He stopped outside of his office door, kneeling to her level, and taking her hands into his. 

“Ms. Gwen is having a hard time walking right now, and she’s not feeling too good. I know she is going to be very excited to see you, but promise me you’ll be careful around her?”

Daisy’s eyes got wide as it hit her that Gwen was behind the door, and she started getting jumpy and restless and almost started crying again as she nodded yes. “I promise, I promise,” she said. 

Blake nodded towards the door knob. “Alright, go ahead then,” he said, and her hand was on it within half a second as she pushed it open. 

Gwen was awake now, reading glasses on her nose as she stared at her laptop, but the sound of a crying Daisy running over to her instantly grabbed her attention. The little girl went straight for her, arms wrapping tight around her neck, and she started crying all over again. 

“Whoa, whoa…hey,” she breathed, a bit out of shock, as Gwen immediately wrapped her arms around her. “Tiny, what’s wrong? Why aren’t you in your class? Why are you crying?” She rubbed the little girls’ back gently as Daisy continued to cry, Blake making his way over to them. He reached and took the laptop from Gwen’s lap to get it out of the way, putting it down on the table nearby. 

“You weren’t in class and I thought you died and I didn’t go to class and I thought, I thought, it was my fault,” she inhaled sharply as she tried to catch her breath.

“No, no, no,” Gwen said. “Honey, I’m right here. Please don’t cry.” Gwen looked up to Blake, exasperated over the intense reaction. Gwen’s hand stroked through her hair, and she began to calm down once again. 

“What happened?” she mouthed to Blake, and he just shrugged, helpless, as he was equally as confused.

Gwen gently lifted Daisy up to sit in her lap, adjusting slightly so that she was a bit more upright herself. “See that cast down there on my leg?” Gwen asked her, pausing to make sure that she looked at it. “I had to dance on the same day you did and I just got a little hurt, so the doctor told me not to walk on it. Mr. Blake has been taking good care of me though. He’s been cooking me dinner and giving me lots of hugs.”

“Is Mr. Blake your boyfriend _now?_ ”

Gwen couldn’t help but start chuckling at the unexpected comment, and looking over at Blake confirmed he felt the same way. It was a brief comic relief in an intense moment, and even just the sound of Gwen and Blake laughing seemed to ease Daisy’s anxiety a bit. 

“I think so,” Gwen said, her eyes resting on Blake’s. “You might have to ask him, though.” Daisy looked up to Blake, and he didn’t even make her ask the question. 

“Gwen is the prettiest and most awesomest girlfriend I’ve ever had,” he said with a grin. 

“Does it hurt?” she asked quietly as she looked down to her foot, wiping her eyes.

“A little bit, yeah,” Gwen downplayed it. “It’ll be all better in a few weeks though. And then we’ll get to dance together again.”

Daisy leaned against Gwen, her arms hugging her loosely at her sides, and was quiet. Gwen just held her for a few minutes, feeling like that was what she really needed. 

“Do you want Mr. Blake to take you back to class?” she asked delicately.

“Not really,” Daisy answered honestly.

“I think you’re going to be sad later if you don’t dance,” Gwen countered. “Miss Amanda is still a lot of fun to hang out with, even if I can’t be there. And maybe Blake can watch for a little bit and you can teach him more about ballet for me. He could learn a lot from you.”

“As long as I can sit and watch and I don’t have to hurt myself again, I’m game,” Blake said, which caused Gwen to chuckle, and even inspired a small smile forming on Daisy’s face. 

“Okay,” she agreed, and looked to Gwen. “But can I come visit you before classes to make sure you’re okay?”

“Of course you can,” Gwen said. “You can come see me any time you want. I can’t go far, so I’ll be right here.”

Blake kneeled down beside both of them. He placed a quick kiss on Gwen’s forehead, before holding his arms out to Daisy. “Ready to do this?” He asked. 

Daisy squeezed Gwen for one last hug before taking Blake’s invitation, standing up again with the little one in his arm. Gwen reached out for Blake’s other hand, kissing the top of it. “Thank you,” she said softly. 

“You two have fun!”

——

It was starting to get dark outside, Gwen unable to stop a yawn from escaping as her eyes rested on the window in Blake’s office. He came up next to her on the couch, their eyes meeting.

“Ready to pack up and head home?” He asked. 

“Definitely,” she said, closing and handing him her laptop. “I’m actually excited to hop to the car, it’ll be the most action I’ve had all day.”

Blake chuckled. “That’s probably a good thing.” He looked around. “What do you need to bring home with you?”

“Mmm…” Gwen surveyed, thinking for a minute. “Actually, nothing except the laptop. We’ll be back here tomorrow, and there is a very big dose of pain medication with my name on it that will make even that useless soon enough.”

She removed the blanket from her, draping it over the back of the couch. Blake grabbed her bag and his, and brought the crutches over to her. He helped her into a standing position, and she took them one by one, adjusting herself. In no time, she was crutching towards the door.

“You’re getting too good at those,” Blake said, as he suddenly had to keep up with her instead. He opened the office door for her to crutch through, both of them pausing as he closed it behind them and locked it up for the night. They proceeded down the hall, the quiet end of the day a welcome atmosphere. They turned the corner into the lobby, and Gwen stopped suddenly. 

“Something’s wrong,” she said, her eyes falling on a tiny Daisy sitting on the ground and hugging her knees, staring out the door, schoolbag discarded nearby. “Someone should have picked her up hours ago.” She crutched forward with a heightened sense of urgency towards her. 

“What are you still doing here?” she asked. “It’s past your bedtime by now.”

Gwen finished crutching over, sitting on the bench right next to where Daisy was on the ground, setting the crutches aside. “Hey,” she nudged her gently. “Why don’t you tell me what’s up?”

“She didn’t come,” was all Daisy said. 

“I’m sure she just got tied up,” Gwen said, and motioned Blake over to them. She whispered something to him about going to pull Daisy’s file, including where to find it in her office, and he nodded and left to do so. Her attention turned back to Daisy. “Mr. Blake is going to go get your mom’s phone number, ok? And we’re going to call her. I wish you would have come told me you were out here.”

“She wasn’t there this morning,” Daisy said. “I just thought…maybe…”

“How did you get to school?”

“I took the bus.”

“You got yourself up and got ready all on your own? I’m super impressed!”

Blake came back a few minutes later, handing Daisy’s file to her. He had written a post it note for Gwen and stuck it on top that read _Tried to call - phone number was disconnected_. Gwen looked up at him and sighed, opening the file, digging through it to see if there was any more information she could find. A few papers fell to the ground, Gwen reaching over to retrieve them. She placed them back in the file and soon her eye caught on the top document, her body tensing as she froze. She didn’t say anything, not even when Blake nudged her to try and figure out what was wrong. In fear of possibly upsetting Daisy, he kept his mouth shut for the time being.

Gwen exhaled forcefully, shutting the file, and reaching to her backpack on Blake’s shoulder to shove it inside to bring with them. 

“I think something is wrong with the phones right now,” Gwen said. “That’s okay, though, because you’re going to come home with us. Okay? We’ll figure all of this out after you get some sleep, little one.”

Daisy nodded tiredly. Normally, news of her getting to spend any kind of time with Gwen would have delighted her, so her nonchalant reaction was alarming. 

“Can I talk to you for a second?” Blake asked, motioning her away a bit.

Gwen ruffled Daisy’s hair and gave her a smile, before hopping up onto the crutches again and crutching out of Daisy’s earshot. 

“There’s an address in her file. Why don’t we try and take her home?” Blake asked. 

“One, who knows if that address is even current,” Gwen said. “And two, if you stepped foot in that neighborhood for all of five seconds, I would bet hundreds of dollars there would be no way in hell you would ever leave her there, even if it is her home.”

“Why do you think that?”

“I know that because I used to live in that neighborhood,” she said quietly. “And we do not know what we’re walking into. It’s late, and there are so many things that could be wrong. And a lot of scenarios where her mother might not exactly be able to care for that little girl tonight.”

“Should we call social services?” Blake asked.

“ _No!_ ” Gwen hissed, a lot stronger of a reaction than she intended. She took a deep breath, exhaling long. “I’m sorry,” she apologized. “Social services would only exist to make this worse.”

“But are we gonna get in trouble?” Blake asked. “I don’t want them to think that we took her or something. I just mean that I want to make sure we do this right.”

“It’s late, Blake,” she said. “I don’t want to fight about this, just please trust me? I want her home with us tonight if her mother doesn't walk through that door in the next five seconds, and we can figure this out in the morning.”

“What did you see?” He asked. “In her file. It looked like you got upset.”

“That’s a much longer conversation that I will gladly have with you when she’s tucked in,” she responded. “I promise.” She turned towards Daisy. “Tiny, are you ready to go?”

Blake sighed, but gave in. He scooped Daisy up with her schoolbag on her back, the little girl’s stomach immediately rumbling. 

“Oye,” Gwen said, poking at her playfully. “Sounds like we’re picking up some dinner on the way home for you.”

They made a stop at a drive thru to get a kids meal, Daisy soon practically swallowing it whole in the backseat, and completely finishing it before Blake even pulled into the driveway. 

“Put her in my bed,” Gwen whispered, and he obliged. 

Gwen crutched her way into the house and down the hall after Blake, coming to sit on the bed once Daisy was there, too. She pulled back the covers for her to crawl under.

“Do you remember Miss Marianne?” she asked her. “When I was your age, she used to let me stay here with her sometimes. This was my bed. See the glow and the dark stars on the ceiling? I put those there a very long time ago.”

“My mom isn’t coming back, is she?”

Gwen pulled the covers up and over her, placing a kiss on the top of her head. “We’re going to try and find her in the morning,” Gwen promised. “But for now, the most important thing is a certain little girl is able to get enough sleep tonight.” Daisy’s eyes were heavy as they rested on Gwen, head content and sinking into the pillow. 

“Do you need anything else?” Gwen asked. “Actually…” she interrupted her own thoughts, reaching to the nightstand as she wrestled into the bottom drawer, pulling out a stuffed monkey. “This is Banana, he used to keep me company at night. He’s a good friend.”

Daisy took the stuffed toy and tucked it under her arm, hugging it close for a brief moment. Her eyes drifted shut completely within a few minutes, and when Gwen felt it was safe to do so, shifted up onto her crutches again to quietly exit the room, Blake in tow. 

Blake gently closed the door behind them, and followed Gwen out into the living room. She spotted her laptop bag on the couch, and she took a seat and ditched her crutches immediately as she dug around for Daisy’s file again. 

“She’s asleep now,” Blake said, coming to sit on the overstuffed chair nearby. “Mind telling me what’s really going on?”

Gwen flipped the file open, the document in question sitting right on top. She just stared at it, trying to make sense of it, trying to make sure that what she saw was accurate and that she wasn’t losing her mind. She looked up to Blake, and handed it over to him. He took it, and stared at it for a moment in confusion. 

“Daisy’s birth certificate?” He asked. “I don’t understand.”

“Read the father’s name.”

“Alistair Dominic Keeting III,” Blake read. “Pretentious.” 

“That’s a pretty specific name, right? You wouldn’t be able to imagine that two people have that exact name, would you?” Gwen asked, letting out a sigh, her hands running through her hair. “Blake, Daisy’s dad…” she couldn’t even get the words out of her mouth. “Daisy’s dad is _Gavin_.”

“What the hell? Is that his real name?”

“No, not exactly,” she shook her head. “He told me once, something about rich people having a fake name. They use it for hotel bookings, restaurant bookings, and basically anything else that they don’t actually want to put their name on. Gavin’s family has an ungodly amount of money. And that’s his fake name.”

“Gwen, are you sure?”

“Alistair Dominic Keeting the third?” Gwen asked. “Do you honestly think that long and detailed of a name is just a coincidence? Someone with that name also is not exactly going to live in Daisy's type of neighborhood, either.” 

“I uh…” Blake sighed, his mind completely blown away. “I can’t argue with that. But, all of this, it’s insane.”

“Oh my god,” Gwen gasped as the realization hit her. “That would mean…she would be King’s half sister.”

“Alright,” Blake said with an exhale. “I think we should look into this more tomorrow. Daisy is not the only one that needs rest tonight.”

“Really don’t know if that’s possible anymore,” Gwen said.

“Well, good thing you have a special little white pill that will help you with that,” Blake remarked. He reached his hand into the backpack, producing the bottle of pain meds.

“Yeah, yeah,” Gwen mumbled, taking it and throwing one back to swallow it. 

“Why don’t you come sleep with me tonight,” he suggested. “Plenty of room to stretch out after being on that couch all day.”

“Kay,” she said, with a sigh. “Can I wear one of your shirts again? They’re comfy.”

He immediately agreed, pulling one for her as soon as she was up and had crutched her way into his bedroom. He helped her get dressed for bed, soon propping the crutches by the nightstand after she sat on the edge. She seemed to get lost in her own thoughts, her gaze resting on the nightstand as she didn’t move. 

“You alright?” He asked. 

“Mmm,” has said. “It just all makes sense how she was acting. She hasn’t seen her mom today and then I don’t show up to class.” She sighed. 

Blake reached over, running his hand down her back. “Hey, you didn’t know what was going on with her.” 

“It’s not that,” she said softly. “It’s just hard.” 

“Too close to home?”

“Maybe.” 

A moment later she felt Blake’s hands on her waist gently tug her, and she let him pull her to lay down fully on the bed, carefully adjusting her leg up onto the mattress. He hovered for a moment before he leaned in and kissed her softly. 

“I’m proud of you,” he said, pulling back slightly and pecking a kiss on her nose. 

Her face wrinkled in confusion. “Why?”

“Honestly?” he asked. “Because you were open to my help. You didn’t just take Daisy and run away back to your own place when I started questioning what we should do.” He kissed her neck. “I think that’s progress.”

“Mmm,” she said, sighing as his lips traced along her jawline. “You’re right. I’m stubborn, and I was thinking about it.”

“This is still a bigger conversation we need to have in the morning,” he said, his breath warm against her skin. “Your heart is in the right place, because you’re a good person.”

Her hand went to his cheek, bringing him up to her lips. His arm went around her waist as he leaned over her a few seconds before she moved up and forward, kissing him deeply. 

“I have to admit, there’s something about kissing you while in the process of getting high on pain meds that really appeals to me,” she said, causing both of them to laugh. He settled onto his back, keeping a loose hold on her.

Her mind was working through the major new revelation of the evening at a mile a minute, until the drugs counteracted and dictated otherwise.


	24. Closer

Blake awoke to the dulled hum of a lawnmower whizzing outside, squinting his eyes shut as soon as the sun hit him suddenly from the blinds. He groaned quietly and rolled over, sighing to himself before pushing up into a sitting position.

He looked down beside him at Gwen, who looked completely knocked out and dead to the world, opting to let her get much needed rest. After quietly walking across the room and splashing water on his face, he stepped out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him before making his way into the living room. Neither had bothered to set an alarm for the day, and he was quite surprised when he saw that it was nearly ten in the morning. 

He made his way down the opposite hall, towards Gwen’s room, to check on their tiny houseguest. He knocked gently, waiting a minute before cracking the door open just a tad. He saw Daisy sitting on the floor, legs curled up to her chest, back against the closet door. He pushed in a bit more and the little girl’s attention drew up to him.

“Good morning, Mr. Blake,” she said quietly. 

“Good morning, sweetheart,” he said with a small smile. He looked over to the bed - it was completely made up, and everything was tidy. “How long have you been up? Did you make up the bed all by yourself?” He moved in a few steps, lowering himself to sit next to her. 

“A while, it wasn’t very light outside,” she responded, hugging the stuffed monkey that Gwen had given her the night before.

“I wish you would have come and gotten me,” Blake said. “I would’ve hung out with ya.”

“It’s ok, I didn’t want to wake you up,” she said, before changing subjects. “Where is Ms. Gwen?”

“Miss Gwen is extra tired because of some medicine she is taking for her foot, so I’m letting her sleep in as long as she needs.”

“Oh,” she said, then paused. “Well I can go home now, I don’t wanna bother you.”

Blake sighed and shook his head. “You are just like her,” he said, having to stifle a chuckle. “Actually, I came looking for you because I need you help. See, I was going to make pancakes, but it’s literally impossible to make pancakes by yourself. I thought you’d be the perfect person to ask. What do you think?”

Daisy’s eyes suddenly got wide with excitement, as her little body perked up with interest. “But I’ve never made pancakes before,” she said. “I don’t know how.”

“You’ve never made pancakes before?!” Blake gasped. “Now we HAVE to make pancakes. I’ll teach ya, it’s easy once you get the hang of it.”

“Really? You’d do that??” Dasiy was now standing up next to him, eyes still wide with excitement and a big, hopeful smile on her face. 

Blake chuckled. “Looks like we have a pancake date,” he grinned. “Come on, race ya to the kitchen.”

Daisy jumped into action and went running out of the room laughing, with Blake lagging behind as soon as he jumped up onto his feet. 

As soon as he got to the kitchen, he scooped Daisy up and sat her on top of the counter. He pulled all of the ingredients out and put them next to her, carefully supervising various measurements he asked Daisy to do in order to make the batter. He was so intentionally patient with her - it didn’t matter to him when she spilled something, or put a little too much in, and not even when she accidentally hit his face with a bit of flour and she started giggling in hysterics. He kept her close and showed her what he did to pour the batter into the frying pan, Daisy gasping as soon as Blake flipped the first one into the air.

After he made a few, he moved her over to the island chair and made her up a plate, opting to cut the pancakes up for her into bites before serving. 

Blake went back to the frying pan, pouring more batter in. 

“Well, how did you do? Are they good?” He asked as Daisy took a few bites.

“They’re AMAZING,” she said, her mouth full of pancake bits. She started laughing at herself when she realized she sounded funny, and went to eat another bite.

Blake made a stack that would have enough for him and Gwen before turning the burner off. 

“Oh my,” Gwen’s voice unexpectedly came into the kitchen with a laugh, as she crutched her way in. “What all is going on in here?”

“Pancakes!” Daisy exclaimed, mouth full again. 

Gwen laughed and came up next to the island chair next to hers, setting the crutches to the side as she hoisted herself up gently. “Did Blake make all of this for you? Looks like you’ve already got him wrapped around your finger, tiny.”

“I did no such thing,” Blake said, coming up to Gwen’s side and setting a plate in front of her. “Daisy made the pancakes - she’s the chef. I just handled the hot surfaces for her.” His arms came around Gwen from behind to hug her, holding her for a few moments when he felt her body lean into his. “Hi,” he whispered, then kissed her cheek. “How’d you sleep?”

“Mmm…” she leaned into him a bit more, and turned her head to look at him for a moment before giving him a real kiss. “Good. Still a little groggy from that medicine.” Her eyes caught onto his cheek, narrowing in a bit and laughing as she reached up and wiped some flour away. “Flour,” she said. 

“Excuse you, but I intentionally put that there,” he said, reaching across the island to swipe his finger on top of the flour bag. “Just like I’m intentionally putting _this_ right here…” Gwen realized what he was doing too late and jerked back trying to avoid it, but Blake was successful in swiping the flour onto her nose. Blake started to laugh and Gwen started to wipe her face, soon joining in with him. 

“Whyyyyy did you do that?” She asked, looking up to him. That only caused him to start laughing harder. “What??” She asked. 

“You made it worse,” he managed through his laughing, starting to feel bad now. She was laughing too, but he moved forward to try and help get the flour situation under control. 

Daisy started giggling as she watched them, which got both of their attentions to turn to her.

“What’s so funny over there?” Gwen asked with a chuckle.

“I knew Blake was your boyfriend alllllll along,” she said with a shrug.

“Yeah, you probably knew before I did. You’re smarter than me,” Gwen said laughing. With Daisy suddenly occupied with her pancakes again, Gwen turned to look up to Blake, the tone calming in her voice. “Can we talk for a minute? Bedroom?” she whispered.

“Yeah,” Blake nodded, swiping his finger on the side of her nose again to get remnants of flour again. “Daisy, you’ll be ok for a few minutes out here?”

Daisy nodded and mumbled a “Yep!” In between pancake bites. Gwen reached for the crutches and crutched her way into the bedroom, taking a seat on the bed. Blake followed, closing the door behind them.

“What’s up?” He asked. 

Gwen laid the crutches on the bed next to her. “Daisy’s mom left some frantic messages this morning and Amanda forwarded them to me,” she began. “So I called her and talked with her a bit, told her we had Daisy and that she was completely fine.”

Before Gwen could muster up the rest of the story, Blake was already jumping in. “So what’s her excuse for abandoning her daughter last night?”

Gwen let out a breath, taking a moment to compose herself. While she understood Blake’s response on some level, she knew from experience it was a lot more complicated. “Please,” she began, her eyes going to his. “I’m way outside of my comfort zone right now as I’m trying to involve you in all of this when I would normally just want to do it myself. We need to talk with each other, not _at_ each other, and Blake, there are some things that are so much more complicated than someone like you is able to imagine.”

He let out a breath himself, and came to sit next to her on the bed. “Define - _someone like me_ ,” he requested, his voice steady.

“You grew up differently,” she clarified. “You didn’t have to wonder where your next meal was coming from. You didn’t have to babysit yourself when there was no other option. You didn’t live in a bad neighborhood as a kid.”

“What is it that you think I won’t understand?”

“Daisy’s mom left the house because she ran out of formula, and her baby wouldn’t take breastmilk. She drove their car, which had been giving them issues and she ran out of gas because apparently, the fuel gauge was shot. When she walked to a nearby gas station to buy enough fuel to get her home, someone robbed her,” she explained calmly. 

Blake took the story in. “So it was ok of her to leave Daisy home by herself during all of that?”

“Would you rather her be traumatized as her mother was being robbed on the side of the road in the middle of the night?” Gwen remarked back in response, and sighed. “This. This right here is what you’re not going to understand. I get it, it’s unfathomable to you to leave a child as small as Daisy home alone like that. But when it’s your only option as a single and desperate mother, what is she supposed to do? There are always multiple sides to a story.”

“Gwen, how is it not unfathomable to you to leave Daisy home alone like that?” Blake asked. 

“I can’t sit here and judge another mother like this,” she said. “Because I don’t know what I would have done. And I’ve been that child at home alone. All of it sucks, okay? I’m not saying there is any good option here.”

“There is an obvious one though,” he responded. “Child protective services. They at least need to know…”

“Stop,” she said abruptly, cutting him off. “We can’t have this conversation until you take that out of the equation.”

“Why not?” He asked. “I don’t know when this happened, but damn it, I care about that little girl out there. I don’t feel right about any of this. Don’t you think she could be in danger? If not now, somewhere down the line?”

“Don’t you think I have a bit more experience in this area?” She asked. “Calling social services would destroy her life over something like this. And I spoke to her mother, she’s hysterical right now. She loves that little girl and already has a hard enough life, I can’t consciously add more hardship like that.” She sighed. “I told her, I made her promise, she needs to call me if she needs help with her to avoid something like this again.”

Blake watched a few tears fall down Gwen’s cheeks, which softened his prepared response and made him pause on it for the time being. 

“I don’t want her to have the life I did, of course I don’t,” Gwen said. “I kind of wish I could just keep her here with me forever. But she has a mother, and one that loves her as far as I can tell, so that is where she needs to be. Not some foster care family that only takes in kids for the monthly checks.”

His arm went around her just as she swiped under her eyes, her head soon leaning against him. The silence was almost a comfort to her, as she felt like he might have actually listened to the words she spoke. 

“I want to talk to her when she gets here,” Blake said, breaking the silence. 

“Okay,” Gwen agreed. “Please just remember what I said, and go easy on her.”

“My concern is Daisy,” he responded. “I won’t let her go anywhere until I know she will be safe.”

Gwen sighed and nodded in response, her arms going around his neck to hug him. He exhaled as his arms went back around hers, as they both seemed to calm for the time being. 

“Don’t ask about Gavin either,” Gwen added. “I didn’t say anything. I have no idea what I’m even going to do with that information.”

“Okay,” he agreed, then nudged her a bit. “Come on, pancakes are getting cold. Daisy worked really hard on them.”

——

Thankfully for Gwen, the visit from Daisy’s mom was a lot less eventful than what she had been banking on.

Blake stood fast in his overprotective nature, even as he watched Daisy spring to life and go running towards the door at the sight of her mother, but reality seemed to soften him. Gwen watched as Blake pulled her aside to speak to her as she kept Daisy entertained, and while this would have originally worried her, she let out a sigh of relief as Blake’s caring and level headed nature seemed to prevail. 

A bit after Daisy and her mom left, Blake took a call that ended up being from Marianne’s lawyer, which was now the second driving event of the day. He wanted to invite them in to talk about Marianne’s will, and even though there was nothing contentious about the situation, it made Gwen feel uneasy as she crutched to the car and Blake helped her into the front seat. The feeling didn’t seem to settle much as they pulled into the parking lot, either. 

“You’ve been quiet,” he observed, pulling into a parking space. 

“Mmm,” she responded. She sighed and looked over at him, uncertain. 

“Whatever happens, I’m completely okay with,” he reminded her. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

“It’s just everything,” she said. “I know so much has changed, but sometimes it still feels like she isn’t even gone.” She sighed.

“I know what you mean,” he responded. “Being out here just feels like a different reality.” He paused, then reached for her hand, which turned her attention back to him. 

“My stomach is just in knots, I don’t know why,” she told him honestly. “I’m nervous and I really have no reason to be.” She shook her head. “We should just go in, I’ll be fine.”

He reached over to lift her chin up, which she allowed him to do. He pressed his lips sweetly against hers. She let out a relaxed sigh, and kissed him again.

It was a relief when she didn’t have to crutch too far to the elevator to get into the lawyer’s office - she remembered why she hated crutches so much and cursed them silently. Blake only left her side to check in with the receptionist, and they were ushered into a small conference room together to wait. The lawyer entered after many minutes of silence, stopping as he was instantly fixated on Blake’s hand holding hers, so much so that she almost pulled it away.

“Uhh…hello, both of you,” he said awkwardly, holding out his hand to Blake. “Good to see you again, Mr. Shelton,” his eyes moved to Gwen, “…and nice to meet you, Ms. Stefani.”

Gwen shook his hand but remained silent, looking between Blake and the awkward lawyer. 

“Thanks for having us,” Blake responded. “So, uh, what do you have for us today?”

“Well, nothing certain, I’m afraid, the law never is,” he chuckled a bit to himself, must have been some inside legal joke that Gwen wasn’t getting. “The last will on file is the one I certified myself, which gives Blake full ownership of all of her assets. However…” he turned to Gwen, “The letter written to you could easily hold up in a court of law as a revised will, and I’d advise you to seek your own counsel to pursue.”

“Hire my own lawyer?” Gwen questioned. “No, I really don’t want to do that, Blake…” she looked at him. “I’m fine with how things are, really, I am.” She was nearly pleading with him at this point.

Blake looked over to the other man. “What if I don’t contest Gwen’s letter?” He asked. “Because I don’t. I’m completely fine with the terms Marianne outlined.”

The lawyer looked baffled. “Well, I uh…” he started. “Sorry, this almost never happens, most people fight over every last penny.” He paused. “If both of you agree to terms together, we can easily draw up a document to revise the current ownership to include Ms. Stefani. Once that is done, though, it’s final - no going back, no challenging the will, unless new information comes to light. It’s my professional responsibility to still advise independent counsel, but you can forego it, if you really want.”

“We can do that,” Blake said with a nod, before looking to Gwen. “Unless you want a lawyer to review everything for you, which is fine…”

“This is going really fast,” she said with an exhale, looking over to the lawyer. “Can I please have a few minutes? Can we have a few minutes? We need to talk.”

“Of course,” he said. “Just let Monica in the lobby know when you’re ready to continue.” With that, he stepped out, closing the door behind him. As soon as they were alone, Gwen pushed back from the table, her head in her hands.

“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?” He asked gently. 

“I don’t know why I’m so overwhelmed right now,” she said. “I am trying so hard to keep calm but my stomach feels like it’s on a rollercoaster.”

Blake’s eyes surveyed the room, spotting a small mini fridge sitting on the black marbled countertop in the back corner. He went to it, plucking one of the ginger ales from the door and grabbing a straw. He quickly assembled it, nudging her when he came to sit back down.

“Thank you,” she said, taking it from him and inhaling a few sips. She set it down on the table in front of her, and seemed to calm down a bit.

“I thought we talked about this,” he started. “Doing what Marianne wants. What changed on your end?”

“Blake,” she said with an exhale. “Nobody has ever tried to give me half of a company. This is Marianne’s life. I’m overwhelmed and I don’t know what I’m doing here. And I don’t think you’ve thought this through.”

“What else is there to think through?” he asked. “Gwen, I’m asking you to be my partner here. I want half of this company to be yours - you built this with her. I can’t do this without you.”

“I don’t know how to run a business,” she protested. “Maybe you think I do, maybe I accidentally tricked you into thinking I knew anything about this when I did all of the gala stuff, but I’m lost! I don’t know the P from the L on a P&L statement, or, or anything about payroll, or laws. Blake, there are so many laws, this is _California_ , do you even know all of the crazy laws out here?”

“I am not relying on you for those kinds of things,” he responded. “I run businesses. I know how. I want to teach you how, if you’ll let me. What I don’t know, I will pay a lawyer handsomely to figure out. But a lawyer can’t possibly replace you. You are the art, you are the heart and the soul, you are the things that can’t be taught, and she was literally training you to do this. You are the only person I can trust to make sure I don’t completely fuck this all up.” He breathed. “This is scary, I get it. You and I…this is a brand new relationship, and adding this work relationship on top of it is going to be a lot. But we have figured it all out together since day one, and we will keep figuring it all out together until there aren’t things that need to be figured out anymore.”

“And what if you finally tire of me?” She asked so quietly, he almost had to double take to make sure he heard her correctly. “What if you want out? Do you think it’s going to be easy to continue to work together if our personal relationship falls apart?”

“So that’s what you’re worried about,” he said.

“I’ve had to work with an ex,” she said. “And I don’t equate you to him at all, please don’t misunderstand, but that is stress in and of itself.”

“You’ve also not been with someone who acts like a level-headed adult,” he remarked. 

Gwen didn’t even flinch, because she agreed. 

Blake sighed, watching her for a minute. He gently pulled her chair over to his, their knees now touching. She slowly looked up at him.

“What do you need from me right now that will convince you that all of this will be alright?”

Gwen sighed. “I don’t know.”

“Think,” he pressed. Her attention went back to him begrudgingly. 

“You’ve said all of the right things,” she admitted. “I have no reason to doubt you.”

“I don’t want to plan for failure,” Blake said. “This is a leap of faith. But I promise you, if anything happens, we will figure it out. And it won’t be a horrible experience, because I actually care about you as a person and no matter what, will always want the best for you.” A pause. "But ok, simply for argument's sake. Let's say you and I don't work out romantically. In that mindset, I have zero regrets about doing this. Because I know that even if we don't go home together every night, there is _always_ going to be something inside of me that would die to still be friends with you, at the very least."

She sighed, their eyes locking as he said those last words. She was still anxious and unsure, but damn, he had a way with words.

“Okay,” she consented hoarsely. “If you are unequivocally sure, and you will have absolutely no regrets...go get the lawyer before I change my mind again.”


	25. Worth The Wait

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was informed that everyone is pining for some smut. And two updates in less than 24 hours. 
> 
> I aim to please, smutty chapter below (and maybe it's not the only one...) Enjoy :)

Sleep had been hard to come by the night before, and the anticipation of such showed all over her face.

After weeks, but what actually felt like months, spent on crutches, the day had finally come for Blake to take her to her final doctor’s appointment. She was hopeful the news was good and she would be walking out of the office on the same path she had crutched in. 

It had been a relatively quick appointment with the news she had hoped for, which allowed her to do exactly that. She was a bit wobbly as she readjusted, promising the doctor to follow up in a few days for another appointment. She couldn’t help but laugh every time she wobbled a little and Blake would immediately grab her arm or steady her in some way, thinking she was going to fall over. It was soon one of the things she knew deep down that she adored about him - his attentiveness and perceptiveness, especially when it came to her. 

She celebrated her newfound freedom from the cast by taking a nap as soon as they got home to catch up on her missing sleep from the night before. When she woke around 6pm, she carefully made her way out into the kitchen, following the noise that Blake was making as she assumed he might be making dinner. 

Blake’s attention drew up to her and he offered her a smile. “It’s so good to see you walking around again,” he said. “Does it hurt or anything?”

“Mmm…it’s stiff, maybe a little painful, but I just keep reminding myself she said that was normal,” she replied, coming around to stand next to him. She looked down at the baking pan in front of him. “Whatcha making?”

“Vegetable lasagna,” he said. “This one is really fancy, I did some serious ingredient layering that I think is gonna really impress you.” He flashed that dumb grin of his and she started to laugh. 

“I can’t wait,” she said genuinely, as she watched him pick up the lasagna pan and slide it into the oven to bake. As soon as the oven door was shut, she reached for him, her hand laying gently on his wrist. He looked up to her, curious, and easily let her pull him towards her.

She pressed up onto her toes, her arms going around his neck as she kissed him softly. His arms went around her, holding her close, a smile coming to his face as their eyes met. 

“I have to tell you something,” she said with an exhale. 

He gently took hold of her waist, lifting her up to sit on the countertop. She seemed a tad nervous, and he planted a kiss on her cheek. “You know you can tell me anything.”

“I do,” she agreed with a nod, before she bit her lip. “I’ve just never done this before…I mean, not really. And I was trying to figure out the right time to tell you, and then I started to feel bad that I kept it from you, because I decided that the best time would be when I was able to walk again without crutches so that you wouldn’t think I was only telling it to you because I depended on you at the time, and, oh god, I’m shaking,” she inhaled sharply as she looked down to her hands that were trembling. Blake moved one of his larger hands to cover her smaller ones, which instantly calmed them. His look was one of confusion, and slight concern.

“I love you,” she blurted out, her eyes burning into his the moment the words escaped\\. “I’m trying to say that I’m in love with you too, and I’ve known for a while now, and I don’t know why I’m so nervous to tell you,” she started laughing to relieve her own tension, but it didn’t last too long because Blake’s lips were forcefully against hers, his arms tightening around her body. Her legs wrapped around him as she pressed her body into his, letting herself get wrapped up in his sudden display of affection, deepening it on her own accord, pulling back slightly only to gasp for a bit of air before she lunged forward to demand more. 

They eventually took a break, pulling back slightly to look at the other, mutually catching gazes and laughing softly as the words further sank in. 

He moved forward, placing delicate kisses down her neck. “You have…no idea…how badly I’ve wanted to hear you say those words,” he breathed against her skin.

“I’m sorry it took me so long,” she whispered, her hands trailing down his arms.

“Do not apologize for taking your own time,” he responded. “I would rather you make sure you meant it before saying it. God…it was worth the wait.” She turned his attention up to her and moved forward again, kissing him deeply.

“Blake,” she murmured. “Turn off the oven.”

“Why?”

She sat up straight, arms loosely around his neck as she looked at him in the eyes.

“Because I want you to stop being a gentleman tonight so that you will take me back to the bedroom right now, rip all of my clothes off, and fuck me until we both pass out…and I don’t want the lasagna to burn while you do that.”

Blake’s mouth dropped open and he let out a nervous laugh, having to check that he actually heard those words coming out of her mouth and he wasn’t just fantasizing them. Her innocence as she conveyed her message pricked at him in a deep way like he had never felt before. He was pretty sure that _he_ might have been shaking at that point, but out of the desire to lunge forward, grab her roughly, and do exactly that. 

His hands grabbed her waist abruptly, picking her up off the counter and onto him with her legs gripping around his midsection. His mouth lunged forward at hers, kissing her deeply, almost losing his breath as her hands gently rested on his cheeks, a stark contrast to the rough kisses she was dishing back in return. He was kissing her and walking with her out of the kitchen, stopping halfway to press her up against the wall as he suddenly wanted more. With her body now partially supported against the wall, he was more aggressive, demanding deeper kisses, his hands running up under her shirt in search of bare skin. 

He gathered his strength, lifting her again and making a rush down the hallway. He let himself fall with her on the bed mid-kiss, and she easily snaked up into position to rest her head on the pillow. 

She kissed him again insistently, her arms tensing to hold onto him as he seemed to pull away.

She laid there on her back for a few moments, chest heaving, as she looked up at him and tried to anticipate his next move. She watched him easily slide his shirt over his head, discarding it to the side. Hers was next as he grabbed the bottom hem and lifted it up, getting rid of it completely. As she wasn’t wearing a bra, it was painfully easy to begin teasing her ever so delicately.

He pressed his lips against hers, allowing his chest to gently caress against hers, intending the barely there movement across her hardened nipples to pave the path to send her into a tailspin. She groaned underneath him as his lips went to her neck, trailing kisses down to her collarbone, taking his time with her. It was the opposite of how they came in the room, and the change of pace was unexpected and infuriating. 

“ _Blake_ ,” she whined, her body gently bucking up into his as she was begging for more.

“You’re horny, and impatient,” he said against her skin just before leaving a kiss against the front of her shoulder. He let out a low chuckle as her body writhed again, desperate for more. “I know exactly what you want, Gwen, and whining isn’t going to help…” his head ducked lower, his tongue swirling the first nipple as his hands gripped her sides to try and keep her still. She let out an indescribable sound from deep in her gut. He worked his way to the second, tongue swirling again, before he moved up and nibbled at her ear. He hovered there as he made his next statement. 

“Thing is, you have no idea how badly I’m about to make you beg for it even more.”

“Rip…clothes…fuck me,” she managed, alluding to her earlier statement. “I need _more_.”

He gently dragged her jogger pants down and off of her, leaving her in a small pair of black, cotton underwear. Her body arched up into his hand as she tried to get him to take them off alongside her pants, but he intentionally left them on, much to her dismay. She squirmed underneath him as he hovered again, kissing her lips. Her arms reached up around him, trying to pull him down on top of her, trying to allow for her legs to wrap around him to possibly get some relief, but he wouldn’t allow for it. 

He took both of her hands, stretched them up and over her head, and placed them to grip onto one of the bed rails. With a kiss to her cheek, he spoke again. “Be a good girl and don’t move your hands away from here. Understand?” He knew exactly the words to have an effect on her, his eyes and voice dark as he made the command of her. 

She let out a shaky, frustrated breath. “Yes,” she responded, her hands gripping tightly in an effort to force a bit of relief. 

He let his mouth caress her skin again, this time starting just above her breast, obviously intended on moving further south. He kissed above her underwear line, and she started squirming again under him. His hands held onto her hips tightly, mostly keeping her in place as he continued to subject her to the loving torture. 

“How much wetter do you think we can get your underwear?” He asked, now kissing the underwear line down into her thigh. Her little jolts brought a smile to his face.

“Blake you’re torturing me,” she whined again. “I can’t handle this much longer. I _need_ you.”

He didn’t respond, and instead kissed the damp fabric against her center as he moved to the other side, slowly kissing up the line to the top.

“Please, I’m begging you to take them off,” she tried again, her voice even more desperate. It only caused him to continue the light brush of kisses against the edges. She gripped tightly onto the bed, trying to let him push her to the limit, but her body was nearly violently revolting against her as it begged for more. In what could only be considered an act of apparent defiance, she released her hands from the top of the bed, waited until he started to move up her body a bit more, and threw all of her strength into grabbing him with her legs and flipping their positions, with him now laying on his back, and her now sitting on top of him.

The sudden change shocked him, as he wasn’t expecting her to do such a bold move. He began to sit up but she moved forward and pushed him back down as she kissed him roughly, her knees locking him underneath her at his sides. Her hand snaked down between them, flicking his belt buckle undone as she pushed both jeans and underwear down his legs in one motion.

While he had fully intended to let her have a few moments of feeling the victory before dominating once more, the quick movement and well executed plan she had under her belt seemed to put a spell on him. Her kisses against his skin were delicate against his groin, and she didn’t wait a second longer before swirling her tongue around the tip, her small hands adjusting to grip the full length.

Blake groaned and let out a shaky breath, which she had to admit she was enjoying. Her eyes were watching him as she took him in deeper, establishing a low, torturous rhythm with obvious enthusiasm plastered on her face. If she could speak, she’d probably make a comment about karma being a bitch, but that much was obvious just with one look at how much she was enjoying this. 

Her hands moved to his thighs, her nails delicately caressing there which sent a shiver down his spine. She took him in even deeper, her rhythm moving faster.

“Fuck,” he exhaled, then inhaled sharply, as he let himself get lost in those moments. His mouth was slightly agape as his eyes closed briefly, and she continued to work that magic of hers. 

“Gwen,” he said with a desperate sigh and a grunt. Her dark brown eyes perked up and her gaze fell on him, not missing a beat with what was currently occupying her mouth. “Not…not like this,” he managed. “Not the first.”

She seamlessly switched her handling techniques from mouth to hand, working him up and down at a slightly slower, yet sustained rhythm.

“You don’t want me too?” That innocent voice pricked at him again, her eyes resting on him, blonde locks cascading over one of her shoulders as his eyes got temporarily lost on her mostly naked body. 

He grunted. “I want us…together…”

She gently slowed her pace with him, which allowed him to sit up next to her, their lips automatically pressing into each other’s. She released him, pulled back a bit, and to his surprise, rose swiftly into a standing position, right there on top of the bed. She looked down at him, the side of her thigh nudging into him. 

“Now will you take off my underwear?” asked sweetly, head cocking to the side as she kept her gaze down on him. He adjusted and came onto his knees, improving the height difference between them. His hands held onto her hips as he kissed up one of her legs, starting at the knee. He brushed against the underwear line again, the slight tickling making her squirm and laugh softly.

His teeth hooked into the front of the waistband and he slowly dragged the fabric down her legs. When it dropped to her ankles, she kicked them out of the way. Before she was able to come down to his level, his mouth swooped back up and suddenly took her center hostage.

Gwen gasped loudly at the sudden sensation, body jerking forward as she leaned against the top of the headboard for quick support. She was putty back in his hands and he pulled her back down on the bed a moment later, tongue pushing inside of her.

“Jesus, Fuck,” was all she managed, as her hands grabbed a fistful of covers just to have something to grab onto. She started to writhe and whine again, as he was picking right back up on the last level of desperation he had seen her at.

Her thighs were shaking, and it was obvious that he was teasing her to the edge. He moved up suddenly to kiss her sweetly, and after savoring it, she took it as an opportunity to reach between them, guiding him to her entrance. 

He entered slowly, his kisses now on her neck as she gave her a minute to breathe and adjust. Her hips bucked up and he chuckled a little, taking it as an indication that was was ready. His rhythm began, her arms going around his neck tightly as she kissed him roughly through his thrusts. 

It wasn’t soon before long that the thrusts were so intense, she couldn’t concentrate on kissing him anymore and just leaned back, letting him tease her to the edge, willing him to make her see stars. 

“Baby, I’m so close,” she whispered the encouragement as she moaned again, which pushed him to work even harder in those final moments when her mouth dropped open and she was riding through her orgasm, Blake only half a beat behind as soon, he fell apart, too. 

He was laying on top of her as they both were unmoving in their slightly hot, slightly sticky post-sex phase, their breathing attempting to return to normal as they both were catching their breaths.

Gwen’s eyes were glazed over, staring at the ceiling. She felt Blake’s face nuzzle into the crook of her neck, releasing a huge breath as his weight pressed her deeper into the bed. 

And she would have sworn that was the only thing grounding her in those moments, and not allowing her to float away.


	26. Insatiable

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone said the last chapter was not enough smut, so here's another. Enjoy <3

Just a picture and a feeling, and the look across his face. Time was only a construct that she had lost some time ago, along with her clothes.

Blake’s prediction had come true, he _wasn’t_ able to keep his hands off of her now that they had gone down this road. Whether it was light, teasing touches against her skin, or a more needy, even desperate hold onto her, she wanted it all. 

She’d kiss him softly, he’d intensify it. Suddenly they’d find each other in a battle of stigma, one trying to best the other. She’d straddle him, flip them over and take the lead. But then he’d get desperate and flip her back, causing them both to giggle and continue. When they tired, their touches were soft. But that’s the thing. They couldn’t not touch anymore. 

He’d lay her back, driving her insane as he would work his finger and tongue slowly around her hard nipples - he had discovered quickly how much she responded to that, and now that he knew her secret, he wasn’t going to stop anytime soon. She’d writhe and whine and beg which only turned him on all the more.

“I’m fucking obsessed with how responsive you are when I play with you,” his words were seductive in her ear as he continued the torture, and despite her best efforts, she couldn’t tone down her body’s response. 

She sighed heavily. “Well your actual obsession with soaking my underwear is well served by that.” She held in a groan as she bit her lip, moving forward to his lips and kissed him hard, mostly out of frustration. 

A low chuckle. “But you’re not wearing any underwear right now,” came his response. He let his finger trail down her naked body, up and over the curve of her hip. In a bold move, she moved her free hand down between them, guiding his hand in between her legs. She forced the pressure of his hand against her center, trying to get a bit of relief as she let out a soft moan and made herself jolt in pleasure with the action. 

“ _Fuck_ ,” he cursed, the word falling from his mouth as she watched her. She pressed his hand into herself again, her body gently grinding into it as she lost herself trying to establish a rhythm. She made herself jolt again, more intensely this time as she moved forward into him suddenly. 

He kissed her, his fingers starting to wiggle slightly, feeling them covered in her wetness. “How are you still this wet? It’s incredible…” he nibbled at her neck as two fingers pushed inside of her suddenly, causing another jolt and making him chuckle. 

“You’re incredible,” she whispered as a counter statement, just before another soft moan escaped her lips.

“I’m going to have to tie you down to the bed one day. You’re a flight risk.”

Her eyes went wide open with extreme, undivided interest as she looked at him dead on. “Is that a promise?” the innocent words sounded so dirty, and it was making it difficult for him to keep his focus.

Blake shifted slightly, his features narrowed in on her as a wicked grin played across his features. His free hand went onto her hip, pushing her gently to straddle and hover across his lap, forcing her thighs to open more for him. As soon as they did, his fingers inched in deeper. Her hips began to rock into them, her hands resting on his shoulders as she let out a shaky breath.

“Do you want to be tied down to the bed?” he asked, his eyes burning into hers. 

“You could do so many things to me if I was,” she said with an unintended sigh. “You could do anything you want. _Anything._ ”

His free hand reached for his very hard dick, and he carefully drew it near his other hand that still had two of his fingers curling up inside of her. He withdrew them in one quick and unexpected motion, and she immediately whined. He replaced them quickly by sliding into her, which turned her whine into a gasp, her hands tightening on his shoulders. Her hips grinned into him, as she restarted establishing her rhythm. 

“Tell me what you want me to do to you when I tie you down,” he demanded, both his hands now grasping her hips, helping her start the rhythm again, mouth now on her right breast, tongue swirling her nipple again. 

She moaned and gasped, and had to catch her breath before she could formulate a response. “You’d tie me down tight, so tight I wouldn’t be able to move. You’d blindfold me. Fuck, you’d tease me so hard that I would explode.”

“How would I tease you?” He asked, his mouth moving now to the left. 

“Tongue, like now,” she said with a breath. “Vibrator on the highest setting. And you wouldn’t stop or turn it down even if I was screaming from overstimulation. You’d test my limits. See how much I could really handle.” Her hips jolted again, as she forced the rhythm to be quicker, another shaky exhale. “I’d be fighting so hard against the restraints, trying to move, but I won’t be able to. My thighs would be shaking. My entire body would be trembling and begging for you to touch me.”

Her arms tightened at his shoulders as she continued, his lips pressing a kiss against her neck. 

“I wouldn’t let you orgasm,” his breath was hot against her skin. “Not at first. I’d take you all the way to the edge once…twice…three times, until you’re so frustrated that the fourth time you’re going to explode, and it would be even longer, more intense than you could have imagined.” He nibbled at her neck, and she let out another indescribable sound as her body jolted again. 

She whined as his tongue glided down again, back to her left nipple for just a moment. His lips then pressed into hers, him slightly leaning back to enjoy the view. His hands slid up her sides, thumbs now gently caressing and teasing her breasts.

“I think I need to get you a pair of those vibrating nipple clamps for this adventure too, because you might work yourself up so much you’ll actually pass out from pleasure,” he observed. “And we’ll need a towel so you don’t get the sheets wet.”

“Ohh,” she exhaled, really, the only sound she could manage at the moment.

He continued, a cheshire smile on his face. “Especially when I don’t even let you come down from your orgasm and I just keep teasing you, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

She gasped loudly all of a sudden, her continued rhythm paying off as she sped it up one last time, grinding into him roughly, her hands gripping him almost violently as she went over the edge. He moved his hips up into her and finally let go himself, gripping her hips as they rode it out together.

Gwen slumped forward into him, her body loosely clinging to his torso as she shuddered through the end of it. Her breathing was erratic as she tried to catch up to it. Blake took a moment himself, breath ragged, hands resting gently on her lower back. He placed a kiss on the top of her shoulder.

“And when you finally come down,” he said, a bit of roughness to his voice, his fingers lightly tracing and teasing up and down her back. “When you’re shaking from the pleasure and still trying to catch your breath, I’d be right there, hands still on you, seeing if I could get you to squirm a little more for me when I touch you.” 

Her body tensed and clung to him, even as she was trying to catch her bearings again. She felt her thighs still shaking, and he must have as well, because he let his hands trail down her back, onto the insides of her thighs to rest. He gently caressed them, his thumb swiping past a sensitive spot at her center which caused her to whimper and jolt at the overstimulation. 

“Sorry,” he whispered, a small chuckle. “That one was an honest mistake.” He kissed her cheek, his hands moving back to hold her against him.

Her body was lifeless as she took the time needed to recover, coming soon back to life with a shudder, which let Blake know she was okay. Without any words exchanged, she sat up a bit in his lap, and pressed her lips against his.

“I love you so much,” she breathed. 

His tired eyes rested on hers and he grinned. “I love you too, Gwen.”

“Fuck,” she sighed, her forehead leaning into his. “I don’t think I’m ever going to walk again after that.”

“I hope that’s not true. You literally just spent the last eight weeks _trying_ to walk again.”

She let out a giggle. “Oh yeah.” Her stomach grumbled. 

“I should have made you eat before we came in here,” he said.

Gwen just laughed. “You had zero chance of making that happen. I was determined. You have no idea the lengths I would have gone to get your hands on me.”

“And now I can’t get them off,” he finished. 

“Mmm…” she kissed him sweetly. 

“Why don’t I go turn the oven back on,” he suggested. “And I’ll just bring it in here and we can just eat it out of the pan.”

There was something so funny about that to her that it made her laugh, but it was also the best idea she had heard in a while. “Like breakfast in bed,” she grinned tiredly. 

Blake squinted over at the clock in the far corner for the first time. “Jesus, close enough, it’s 4:30 AM.”

Gwen just giggled and shook her head. “I don’t regret a second of it.” Another kiss.

Blake groaned. “You really need to let me go, like now, or I’m going to try and fuck you again…”

“Is that a promise?” She asked sweetly, mirroring her earlier innocent-pricked voice.

It made him laugh, planting a forceful kiss against her neck before gently moving her off of him and laying her down on the bed. Something her exhausted body welcomed the help with. Unexpectedly, he spanked one of her ass cheeks playfully.

“ _Stay,_ ” he said, pointing at her and giving her a look. It just made her laugh harder, her eyes on him as he left the bedroom. 

She waited a few moments. “What if I _don’t_ stay?” She inquired sweetly, loud enough for him to hear from where he was at in the kitchen.

It was silent for a moment before the response again. “Then I’d have to spank you again,” he called back.

She bit her lip, settling back a bit on the bed. She borrowed her own response from earlier, one she could imagine making him clench his fists in frustration of her as she coated her words with as much sugar and innocence as she could muster.

“Is _that_ a promise?”

Blake chuckled loudly, but didn’t have an immediate comeback for her. 

She sighed. “Blakey…”

His voice was incredulous. “Yes?”

“I miss you…and without you here…I’m kind of having to take matters into my own hands…”

She trailed her hands along her own body, biting her lip as one hand went to her center, and the other she used to tug at one of her erect nipples. 

“I don’t suggest you do that,” he called back, his voice noticeably rougher. 

“Why not?” she asked, the high pitched innocent inquiry had him throbbing again, she was sure of it. 

“Because I’m trying to be a gentleman and feed you before you pass out of malnourishment, and you starting any kind of something is not going to let that happen…”

“I told you I didn’t want you to be a gentleman tonight, Blakey…” she responded, moving one of her hands to the other side, and she let out a soft moan. “I can’t stop now. Don’t you want to see what you’re missing?”

“How do you still have the energy…” His ragged voice was now in the room with her and startled her as she jumped slightly, her eyes meeting his before his gaze averted down to watch her play with herself. She closed her eyes and smiled as she continued. 

“It’s more fun when you help,” she said, letting out a breath as she bit her lip. She jolted a little when she glided over a particularly sensitive spot.

Blake felt trapped and frustrated, but certainly not in a negative way. His hands pressed roughly over his face and ran back through his hair, unable to take his eyes off of her. He kept repeating the word _lasagna_ in his head over and over again, until he got so effected and frustrated he ran back to the kitchen, set the timer, and bolted back to the bedroom. 

“Come here, you nymph,” he joked, immediately crawling onto the bed and coming in between her legs. She let out a squeal and a laugh at the sudden addition to the bed once again. He took her arms and pinned them above her head, and kissed her roughly, passionately. 

She let out a small chuckle, a mischievous grin playing on her features. “Hi there,” she said, wiggling under him a bit. She tugged her arms out of his grasp and they went around his neck, pulling him in close to her again as she kissed him softly. He returned the kiss, and deepened it as he stroked her hair back. She kissed down his neck. “What did you do with the lasagna?”

“Timer,” he groaned, uninterested in the food any longer. “I give it a 50/50 chance at this point because you’re being naughty.”

She giggled. “But you like it.” Her lips moved back to his. “Don’t worry, you fucked the life out of me earlier, there’s no way I can get off again.”

“You’re a very determined woman, and I don’t underestimate you,” he responded with a laugh. Her hand came to his cheek and rested there, and he offered her a small, soft smile. 

“Tonight has been incredible,” she said softly, another gentle kiss pressing against his lips. She sighed contently, her eyes locked into his. “It’s so easy to be with you. And so intimate. I’ve never felt like this with anyone.”

He kissed her again. “You already know you’ve made my entire life’s dream come true just getting to see you naked,” he joked, obviously referring to his teenage crush. “Bonus points that I got to pleasure you, but extra bonus points that I got to catch you pleasuring yourself…”

“You liked that, hmm?” She asked. “Next time I’ll have to put on a real show. Maybe I’ll tie _you_ up so you can watch and not be able to interrupt.”

Blake groaned, the anticipation of the thought nearly killing him. “Fuck, I’d love that,” he said, kissing her again. 

Gwen jumped suddenly underneath him as the oven timer went off in the distance. 

“Food’s ready,” she said before kissing him again. “Maybe we should go eat in the kitchen, better odds we might actually eat.”

He sighed, knowing she was right. He nodded before he rolled over, a moment later standing up at the bedside. He found his boxers discarded nearby, and slid them on. He reached into one of his drawers and pulled out a fresh cotton t-shirt, tossing it over to Gwen. She caught it and offered him a smile as she slipped it over her head. She stood up, and it just barely covered her bare ass, and that was good enough for her. 

His arms went around her from the back, hugging her and kissing on her neck before she started to walk towards the kitchen. He stopped for a minute and watched her backside, shaking his head. God, the things this woman did to him. 

Two long strides and he caught up with her, spanking the one ass cheek hanging out which caused her to yelp in surprise. His arm pulled her back into him, another kiss on her neck, words hot against her skin. “That was for being a damn tease,” he mumbled, then laughed. 

Gwen started to giggle, turned around into him, pressed onto her toes and kissed him, her arms going around his neck. She guided his hands down to rest on her ass, up under the hem of her shirt. 

“You can spank me whenever you want, Blakey,” she purred, and nibbled at his ear. “I had a feeling it turned you on, I saw it all over your face when I crawled across your lap on your office couch…” She sighed shakily, thinking about those teasing moments right before he had grabbed her and they had made out roughly for the first time. “You don’t even need an excuse.”

His hands gripped her tightly there as he groaned, kissing her desperately. 

“You are literally going to be the damn death of me,” he mumbled, obviously effected by her and trying to simply maintain his composure. One hand retracted and spanked her suddenly, her small gasp and jagged breath against his neck could have sent him into a tailspin. 

“Fuck,” she whispered. “I can’t believe it took us all night to try that…”

His hand retracted, repeating the motion twice in a row, quick in succession. She let out a soft moan upon the impact. 

“We were a little busy with a bunch of other things,” his low, sultry voice breathed against her skin. 

“Another,” she requested. “Please?”

Her hands gripped onto him tighter, anticipating him. He didn’t disappoint, his hand coming across her skin harder, sending a shockwave to her core, leading to another gasp and moan escaping her lips. 

“And we were so close to making it to the kitchen…” she said breathlessly.

His hands moved down, scooping her up into his arms. Her legs tightened around his midsection. “Oh, I’m determined to get us there, even if I have to carry you,” he said with a grin, which caused her to laugh as he walked forward with her. He sat her on top of the counter, near the stove. He kissed her quickly before letting her go, moving to pull the oven mitt onto his hand to pull the dish from the oven.

Her body missed his touch immediately. Blake gently set the lasagna pan on the stove top to allow for it to cool. He was back standing in front of her, coming in between her legs just a moment later, her arms naturally hanging back from his neck. 

“It smells incredible,” she commented, her senses perking up to the dish next to them.

“ _You_ smell incredible,” he teased, kissing her neck. 

She giggled. “I smell like sex.”

“And sex with you is incredible.”

“I can’t stop,” she breathed, her hands caressing down his arms. “I’m obsessed with you. I feel like I’ve lost my mind and I can’t control what my body wants to feel from you.” She sighed. “I’m exhausted, and my thighs are still weak and trembling, but I still want more, even though I feel like it could kill me.”

He chuckled against her skin. “Your sex drive is insatiable.” 

“I’ve never felt like this before, Blake. Not with anyone.” She chuckled sadly. “Most men I’ve been with can’t even find my clit.”

“I’m pretty sure that was the first thing I put in my mouth,” he laughed softly. “Second, I guess, to those wildly sensitive nipples of yours that I love so much.”

Gwen let out a soft moan as an afterthought. His lips moved up and pressed against hers briefly. His arm outstretched, reaching for a fork nearby. He brought it up and held it between their faces.

“Food,” he said, their gazes catching. She smiled and took the fork from him with a sigh. She turned over so slightly, cutting it into the lasagna to get a small bite, which she took. 

“Now I’m not sure if the sex or the lasagna is better,” she quipped. Blake laughed, watching her fork into the lasagna again to get a bite, of which she offered to him. He moved forward and took it. 

“Mmm…” he said. “You’re right, I did good.”

He reached into the drawer next to them and retrieved a second fork. The two of them sat there, taking turns eating directly out of the lasagna pan. Gwen’s soft laughter broke the silence eventually. 

“What?” He asked.

“I love just eating out of the lasagna pan with you,” she grinned. “No plates, no dining room table…lots of temptation with you keeping me in my place on this counter…”

“That last part is your fault,” he warned. “You’re the one that came out here not wearing any underwear. I’m also being very good right now, I should point out. Don’t think I don’t see you trying to tease me with your legs open.”

Her head cocked to the side, a sly grin playing on her features. “But you like it,” she countered.

“I do,” Blake admitted with a chuckle. 

She took another bite, before setting her fork down. “You’ve exhausted me,” she proclaimed, a happy and tired smile on her features, right before a yawn took over. 

“Maybe it’s time for an actual attempt at resting,” he suggested. 

“That’s going to be hard,” she said softly, then groaned. “But you’re probably right.”

She sighed as he moved away for a moment, packing the leftover lasagna up to store in the fridge. Gwen hopped off the counter, a bit dizzy from the sexual exhaustion. 

When she crawled into bed with him and back into his arms, she was like putty in his hands. And sleep was easy to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the love and comments! I love hearing what you think about the story, and has been a huge source of keeping me writing so fast.


	27. Muse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do links work here? I don't know, we'll try one...
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-ScGu0wap0
> 
> You should listen to this before/during/after you read - it will make it all the sweeter <3

His careful, roughened fingers tugged gently at the guitar strings. First attempt, then a second and a third, trying to play with the notes to get it exactly where he wanted it. 

He’d stop occasionally, bent forward at the waist as he scribbled something in the small notebook splayed open on the coffee table. He was so lost in crafting the lyrics, concentrating on hitting the notes he imagined in his head as he tried to convert them to reality. His ability to get lost into the music so easily was effected as soon as he felt her presence hovering. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips, his gaze moving over to where she was standing in the doorframe. Her eyes were fixated on him, this indescribable yet knowing gaze burning into his flesh, a feeling he didn’t quite know what to do with.

“What?” He asked with a soft laugh. He noticed she was freshly showered, her blonde locks still damp yet braided over one shoulder. She was wearing one of his shirts again, and he had to admit, it was his favorite look on her. 

She shook her head without a word, moving towards him. Instead of simply plopping down next to him, she moved behind him on the couch, her arms going around his neck from behind. 

“Just watching you,” she admitted, soft words into his ear before she planted a kiss on his neck. “I haven’t seen you like this before.”

“It’s been a while,” he admitted.

She hugged him tightly for a moment before releasing him, moving around to his side to join him on the couch. She settled next to him, her body curling up into his as she rested her chin on his shoulder, her arm loosely around his back. He smiled at her touch, continuing to thumb mindlessly at the chords. 

“Can I ask you something?” he said, keeping himself distracted as his eyes stayed on the guitar strings. 

“You can ask me anything,” she responded, without hesitation. 

“I just wanna say…I don’t really know how to ask this, but I’m askin’ because I want to make sure you’re alright.” He stopped thumbing the guitar strings, and looked over to her. 

The sudden change of tone made her slightly uncomfortable, as she was trying to anticipate what he could be talking about. “Okay,” she said quietly. He set the guitar to the opposite side of him, as he sat back against the couch cushions. Concern flashed across her features, and her hand reached for one of his. “You are kind of making me nervous though.”

“Sorry,” he offered her a small smile, and squeezed her hand for reassurance. “This is the part of a relationship that I don’t have great experience in, just being able to freely talk with someone. I just…first of all, last night, this morning, all of it - I mean, incredible. I don’t have the words to even describe it.”

“That’s a good start,” she encouraged him, tilting her head to the side. 

“I don’t bring this up to upset you…but…I know we talked about things, and I know you confirmed some things that turn me on. But given your…history, I need to check in with you on that while we are at least _mostly_ clothed…” he offered a small laugh to diffuse the awkwardness of his question, motioning down to the fact that while she was covered, she was still only wearing his shirt. “…because I can’t bear the thought of not being awkward for five minutes if it means making you uncomfortable in any way. I don’t want that.”

She moved forward slightly to be closer to him, feeling like perhaps more touch would calm them both. His arm hooked around her, Gwen’s gaze going to his chest as her finger drew light circles there. 

“You’re referring to the spanking stuff, hmm?” she murmured. 

He sighed out of awkwardness. “Yeah,” he responded. “And I mostly am concerned that you might do things, or say things that you think I want to hear, because let’s be honest, I don’t think you have a lot of practice in saying no.” He paused. “And on top of that, with the way you’ve described the violence in your last relationship — while it’s not the same, I don’t want to do anything that could ever be a reminder of that.”

The silence between them hung for what felt like a small eternity, Gwen focused on tracing her finger and trying to gather her words. 

“You’re _nothing_ like him,” she began, pressing her lips together after the words came out. “There’s nothing you could do that would ever remind me of him. It’s just not possible.”

“But if there ever is anything, will you tell me?”

She nodded. She was still slightly distracted as she was piecing together the rest of her words mentally. 

“We didn’t do stuff like that,” she continued. “It was just really different, the sex I mean. Spanking was always kind of a fantasy I had, but I never shared that with him.” She paused. “If you’re asking me if I enjoyed it last night - well, yeah, I did. It gets me off. The lighter, more playful side of it I mean. I don’t want to ever go into something where it’s really painful or there’s blood or something. I don’t want to be scared of you.”

“I don’t want you to be scared of me either,” he said immediately. “Also, I agree, I don’t ever want to go past the light and playful with it. I don’t want to hurt you, not ever. And I guess I needed to bring it up to make sure that you didn’t just indulge me and you secretly hated it or something.”

Her eyes rose to his for the first time, and she offered him a small smile. “I loved it, actually,” she said with a sigh. “I actually did some research on it once, why it feels good. Something about the nerves you can hit doing it. I felt weird about that fantasy for years, like something was wrong with me.”

“….so you did research on spanking?” He asked with a chuckle. “Aw, honey, nothing is wrong with you. It’s a normal thing to think about.”

She shrugged. “I didn’t know that,” she responded. “And there was something in my gut that always held things back like that from him. Rightfully so.”

“How can you be this innocent and also that crazy nymph that was touching herself in bed last night at the same time?” He asked. 

She started to laugh, feeling her cheeks getting pink. She moved forward, her lips pressing onto his.

“Even though that was hard, I really appreciate you asking me about it,” she said, and then chuckled. “It’s scary how much you know me.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” he decided, and moved forward to kiss her again.

“So, uh…what were you working on?” She asked gesturing to the guitar nearby. 

“Oh, I, umm…” he suddenly got a bit disheveled over her inquiry, even though it was a perfectly reasonable question. “A song I’ve been working on recently. Just trying to get the final lyrics and chords to match in the last transition. Then I think it will be done.”

“Seems lovely,” she commented about the bits and pieces of the music she had heard so far. 

“I had lovely inspiration,” he said with knowing and suggestive grin. 

It took her a minute before the realization hit, her eyes widening. “Is it…” she began, suddenly feeling kind of awkward about the inquiry. “It’s about me?”

“I wasn’t exaggerating when I told you I picked up a guitar again for the first time in years after I started spending time with you,” he reminded her. “The inspiration had to come from somewhere. Someone.” He nudged her gently. 

Her heart skipped a few beats. “Will you play it for me? Please?” Her voice nearly strained as it broke needily. “It’s ok if it’s not all the way finished, but I’d really love to hear some of it.”

Blake’s cheeks flushed a bit and he exhaled, chuckling awkwardly. He did want to share it with her, but he was suddenly nervous about it. He also knew she was impossible to resist. 

“In that case…just…if you hate it, lie to me and tell me it was great,” he joked halfheartedly with a soft laugh, reaching for the guitar to bring back into his lap. “And remember it’s been a long time since I wrote anything…”

“…you don’t have to be nervous,” she interrupted, her hand smoothing across his back. “It’s just me. I literally just told you about one of my buried sexual fantasies…I think that indicates we’re way past formalities, here.”

Blake scoffed. “ _Just_ you,” he repeated, shaking his head. “You are so much more than _just_ anything…” She pressed her lips against his cheek - somehow that was the small encouragement that he needed to start strumming the guitar. She settled back, resting her chin back onto his shoulder once more.

He played the music, a serene, rhythmic and calming medley. He kept his eyes on her as he played, her eyes fixated on watching his hands play the instrument. He let out a nervous breath, and stole one more quick glance of her face before he looked down to the guitar and began to sing along, not able to bear watching her reaction in the moment. 

__

_She wakes and takes her place in line  
And never bothers asking why the mirror sheds no light at all  
The days turn into lesser days until there’s only night  
The light it wouldn’t help, she’s too far gone  
Her time is up, it’s five o’clock  
It never stops_

_I watch her slowly make her way down on a road she shouldn’t take  
She always ends where she began  
The years go by, they’re adding up  
She clicks her heels, but she’s still stuck  
She’s giving in but won’t give up, she’ll never stop_

_And she says please, and she says please  
And she says please, watch over me  
And she says please, and she is  
On her knees and she begs and she pleads_

_She counts the time ’til her heart breaks  
Just waiting for her next mistake  
Don’t give up, I know you’ve stopped believing  
And you’re down and your begging, you’re pleading  
Don’t give up cause you’re not too far gone_

__

His words faded out with the last verse, but he didn’t stop playing. There was so much being said in those few verses, they came out quicker than he imagined, and he was still building up the courage to look back at her. Songwriting had always been incredibly personal for him, and he cared about the woman sitting next to him more than he could have ever imagined he could care about another human being. He was delaying the inevitable, but at least the chords were soothing, low music in the meantime. He wasn’t ready for the silence just yet. 

He felt her eyes on him. He exhaled as he strummed his guitar to a finish finally. Expectantly, he turned to look into her eyes. He was a bit taken aback when he saw that hers were glossy, her lips parted slightly as her mouth was just barely agape. 

“It was so bad I made you cry,” he mumbled, not able to read anything on her face - he was simply mirroring his own insecurities, even though he didn’t realize it. 

She blinked, which caused one of the tears to fall. She scoffed and shook her head. “You’re so dumb sometimes.”

“Ouch,” Blake cringed sheepishly. 

“No,” she interjected, laughing a bit through her tears. “You’re dumb because you literally can’t see how amazing you are.” She exhaled. “You can’t even realize how thoughtful you are, or how loving you are, or how perfect you are…”

A pause. “Wait, so you liked it?”

Gwen laughed again, shaking her head. “I’m afraid if I try to put this…” she gestured to her face, “…into words, I’m going to cry more and not be able to stop.” 

He set the guitar aside, and immediately pulled her into his lap. His arms went around her tightly, her head now resting on his shoulder.

She exhaled, sitting up a bit to look at him and offered a small, tearful smile. “That is the most incredible thing anyone has ever done for me,” she admitted softly, her fingers swiping under her eyes. “Thank god I’m not a singer, I would never be able to follow that one up.”

He laughed softly at her joke. “Someone as pretty as you? I’m sure you can carry a tune. Don’t you ballerinas spend your life listening to music and matching it to movement?”

“It’s a little different,” she responded. 

“I love you,” he said, a hit of confidence in his voice. His hand went to her cheek. “And I know that you’re going to have to hear me say that a lot before you really, 100% believe me, and that’s okay, because I will.”

“You write your love into your songs,” she observed. “I’m still trying to figure out how I show it. Apparently today, it’s through crying.” She laughed at her own awkwardness, shaking her head. 

“You do show it,” he said. “You might not realize you do, but you’ve shown it to me. You’re working so hard to let me be a part of your life, and to let me see the real you. It might not be a song, but it doesn’t have to be. It’s better, actually. Because it’s you.”

She let out a breath. “I don’t know what to say,” was all she said at first. She started laughing. “I don’t know what it is, I can’t even describe anything anymore. What have you done to me?”

“I’ve loved you,” he said after a moment. “Fair warning, this is only the beginning…”

“Oh great,” she huffed. “If this is just the beginning, I’m not going to have a brain left soon.”

He laughed softly with her as a small grin pulled at the corners of her mouth. “I think you’ll be ok,” he said, then paused. “Eventually.”

She bit her lip, her words a bit timid. “Can you play a little more?” she asked. “Anything you want, you don’t even have to sing. I just like hearing the guitar.”

He placed a kiss on her lips before gently moving her off to the side again, making room for the guitar. She settled back into her former position - chin on his shoulder, body completely leaning into him, as he offered her a smile. 

Who knew one simple, partially-completed song could so radically alter one’s musical taste so quickly.


	28. Flip The Script

“ _Flat_ shoes… _flat_ shoes, I don’t understand what you ballerinas don’t comprehend!”

Gwen sighed, as Darla’s loud, Russian accent filled the small physical therapy room. She was laying on her back on one of the padded tables, her eyes burning into the ceiling, her foot feeling like it was in the process of acquiring frostbite from the amount of ice Darla had just piled onto it. 

“Dancing flat does NOT mean on top of a flat toe box!” she added, now pacing back and forth next to the table. 

She thought back to how she got to her current predicament, as the older woman kept rattling on in her native tongue. While nobody exactly wanted Gwen to go to any class at the moment, she had been determined. Through gritted teeth, Darla told her she could dance in regular slippers - pointe shoes out of the question. And all had been well and fine, no matter how self conscious she felt as the only dancer going through the barre routines not en pointe. She had even managed to not beat herself up as she noticed the bend of her foot was different in her tendus. 

But when the company dancers had gathered to start practicing various parts of ballets in anticipation of auditions, it all went downhill. 

Gwen was not a woman that was full of herself in any kind of way - but she and most of the others knew, deep down, there were a few things that the other principals couldn’t get within a hundred miles of her on. Auditions were only in a few weeks, and she wasn’t naive enough to think she would be allowed to join in on them, especially given that she didn’t quite yet know what her new limitations were. But if she was going to be in the room with them as they practiced, she wasn’t one to go easy on them.

She watched as they fooled around with various variations and steps from _Grand Pas Classique_. Gwen was also not a judgmental person, but what she saw of the performance was shoddy, at best. 

“Watch your leg, get it higher on the back attitude, push,” she corrected one of the younger female dancers, not unkindly. She was doing partner work alongside James, and it was disappointing how easy it was for her to be made to look like a newbie next to him. “You need more power on your standing leg, you’re traveling too much. You’re going to cut your partner off,” she said a moment later. The younger dancer sighed, giving up.

“That’s ok,” Gwen said, motioning at another dancer. “Jenna, why don’t you hop in with James and give it a try.” 

The two of them began the combination, and soon Gwen was doling out different corrections.

“Arms, Jenna,” Gwen said, watching them continue. The dancer was not able to hold her stamina throughout the en pointe combination, and fell to demi pointe just before her heel went down and she stopped. 

Gwen sighed, and cut the music. Without thinking, she moved to her own dance bag, and pulled out the pointe shoes.

“Whoa…” James said, stepping forward towards her. She sat on the ground, and began to tape up. “That is so not a good idea right now.”

“I didn’t ask if it was a good idea, but none of these half wits seem to remember that auditions are in a few weeks,” she mumbled under her breath for only him to hear, now lacing up. “They’re dancing like this is a middle school slumber party and they’re doing a performance in their friend’s living room.” She paused. “It’s fine. I’ve done this combination with you a million times.”

“It doesn’t matter if you’ve done it a million times,” James reminded her. “You have a different body now.”

“And now you’re making comments about my body,” she said with a huff, even making her more determined.

“Damnit, Gwen, you’re so fucking stubborn, and you know _exactly_ what I meant. Don’t pull that crap with me. You might be the director or whatever, but you’re not going to act like a bitch. We have known each other too long for that.”

She hopped to her feet. “Then as company director, I’m demanding you do this combination with me,” she side stepped him and flipped the music on, walking to center. He reluctantly followed. 

“Take notes,” she said to the others, settling in place and stretching her leg back into an elegant _B plus_ position. James came behind her, waiting for the cue in on the music before they began the combination. 

Her feet felt different, the moment she hopped up on the toe box. She continued, shaking the weak sensation, willing it to go away with more pointe work. James spun her at the waist, executed the lifts flawlessly - they complimented each other beautifully, as always.

“You’ve made your point, don’t do the solo,” James said, continuing to dance.

“If you say you know me so well, you would know by now you’re only encouraging me to do it.”

He sighed, letting her hand go as she embarked upon a technically difficult routine that he knew demanded all of her stamina, plus some she likely didn’t have. She was up and off of pointe every two seconds, and he was just holding his breath - wanting to stop her, but afraid any action would push her more. 

“ _Gwen_ ,” he tried one more time, louder over the music. When she didn’t listen, he abruptly shut off the music, which caused her to stop. 

“Class is over, everyone leave,” James announced. Nobody moved. “I’m serious, _go_.”

The other dancers scrambled to retrieve their belongings, and it hadn’t taken long for James and Gwen to be alone.

“What has gotten into you?” He asked.

“Come back and talk to me when your life is over,” she responded. “Then maybe anything you have to say about it would be important.” She turned away, walking over to her things. 

James sighed, reaching out, taking her by the wrist. “Why are you being so reckless?”

“What, have you been talking to Blake now?” She said, rolling her eyes. She might as well write the word in permanent marker on her forehead.

“No. But at least I’m not the only one noticing it.” He tugged at her, trying to get her to willingly turn towards him. “Talk to me.”

“I’m not ready for this to end,” she said softly. “It can’t end. All of this because stupid Gavin, and stupid fouettes, killing myself for a sport that bases itself on perfection which is hardly attainable. And for what? One day it just abruptly ends? You’re not allowed to do it anymore? You spend your whole life trying to be the best and then someone tells you to stop immediately? How is that fair?”

“It’s not fair,” James said, his arms going around her in a hug. “And I’m not saying this to make you feel bad, but we all know there’s an expiration date. When that day comes, your life isn’t over. You just get to find a new life.” He paused. “And if you’d stop being such a stubborn bitch, your time might not even be up. You were literally on crutches days ago. You need to stop pushing so hard and let yourself heal. That’s what got you into this in the first place.”

“I’ve always been a stubborn bitch. Why does it bother you so much all of a sudden?” She asked, breaking through the tension. 

James couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, I don’t know, months without you in rehearsal and I must have gotten soft.” He sighed. “Will you please go see Darla? She’s your best hope at damage control.”

“Yeah,” she said softly, breaking out of his grasp and sitting on the ground. She began to unlace. “James?”

“Yeah?”

“Love you too.”

From there, she found herself knocking at Darla’s door as she had promised James. The door had opened suddenly, Darla’s beady eyes fixating on Gwen’s.

“ _Grand Pas Classique_ ,” she had mumbled, which was immediately met with Darla’s eye roll and groan before ushering her inside. 

_“You’re going to give me a heart attack one day, why are you the one that has given me all of my panic attacks over the last twenty years of my life and no-one else?? Not even my ex-husband!”_

Gwen had almost tuned out the Russian obscenities as her eyes were still on the ceiling. 

“Are you hearing any of this?” Darla asked, having not gotten a response from her at all. 

Gwen pressed up onto her elbows, Darla now pacing at the end of the table where her feet were. She looked at her for a few seconds, her eyes shutting tight before she lowered back down. 

The lack of response actually concerned Darla, as she was far more used to the fiesty girl that would bite back at any criticism. This quiet, still version of Gwen was completely foreign. 

“Are you in pain?” Darla asked, her tone shifting completely into one of concern. 

“If I was, you iced it out,” she responded softly. “James already yelled at me. I apologize if I lost the will to fight you back as you probably expected.” She laid back down flat, eyes back to the ceiling for the time being.

“I don’t want to yell at you,” Darla responded. “But sometimes it’s the only way to get anything into that thick head of yours.”

“That’s a fair assessment,” she agreed. 

Darla pulled up a chair next to Gwen, her hands resting on both of her cheeks. “It’s a beautiful head,” she clarified. “A beautiful head on a beautiful dancer. But you have to realize…your feet are not the same ones they were a few months ago. You have lost muscle. That takes time get get back. Muscle is necessary to protect against getting hurt.”

“Please don’t tell Blake,” she swallowed.

Darla chuckled. “You don’t think that man isn’t already outside already waiting to see you?”

Gwen’s eyes widened a moment, then returned to normal. “Of course he is.”

“My advice?” Darla said, standing up. “Listen to whatever he says. I’ve never seen a man love a woman as much as that cowboy loves you.” She sighed. “Keep the ice on it for a bit longer. And do about 20 minutes before bed tonight. Come back and see me in the morning. Got it?”

“Yeah.”

In the same moment Darla exited, Blake entered. Gwen’s eyes were back up on the ceiling, dreading the inevitable. 

“Can you wait to yell at me until we get home?” Gwen asked. “I’ve already had James and Darla back to back, and I have a headache.”

“I wasn’t planning on it,” he said, moving over next to her. He grabbed the chair Darla had just left behind, taking a seat next to her. 

“Oh,” she responded. “That’s fine too.” She kept her eyes on the ceiling, letting the silent moments pass before she spoke again softly. “Please stop looking at me like that.”

“Like what?”

She rubbed one of her eyes, exhaling. “Disappointed. I can’t stand it.”

He sighed, rising from the chair slightly as he hovered over her, moving into her line of sight. He didn’t say anything, just pressed his lips against hers, and then sat back down. 

“I love you,” he said. “I worry about you. Because you don’t know when to stop sometimes. But that’s part of the deal.” He paused. “James told me what happened. While I’m not thrilled about it, I also can’t say I know what it’s like. I get that you’re going through something, and I’m not going to make it worse. So I’m just going to be here for you.” Another pause. “Besides, I’ve listened to Darla railing into you for the last half an hour. I can’t compete with that.”

The corners of Gwen’s mouth turned into a small grin. “No, you can’t.”

A few more moments passed, as she gently pressed herself up into a sitting position on the table, letting out a sigh as she slowly bent her leg in from the knee, and readjusting the ice. “To be clear, I didn’t actually hurt myself,” she spoke again. “This is just preventative.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Blake replied honestly. 

Her gaze was downcast, her lips pressed together. She felt like she had all of the words hovering at her chest that she knew she needed to say next, and yet she was unable to get them out. Her eyes closed, pushing a few tears down her cheeks. Seeing this, Blake was up from his seat, taking one instead on the table behind her. His arms came around her from back, a soft kiss on her neck, no words spoken. 

Gwen exhaled, finally finding the courage. “I need you…” she began, swiping at her eye. “I need you to sign off on my retirement. Take me off of the principal list.”

Blake was stunned into silence and confusion, hearing those words coming from her. They were so unexpected, especially as her entire being had fought so hard, ignoring so many doctors, trying to fight her way back to the top as a dancer. Gwen turned her body slightly to look back at him, realizing he hadn’t said anything. The look he gave her seemed to be plastered permanently on his face - confusion, longing for more information. 

“But…you having to stop dancing is not a foregone conclusion,” he stuttered. “Are you going to regret this if in a few months, you can get back into it like you used to? We just don’t know yet what’s going to happen.” He paused. “Your issues are your stubbornness and inability to rest, not that we actually know whether you can dance anymore…”

“I’m _tired_ , Blake,” she whispered, swiping at her eyes again. “And you’re right, because I don’t know when to stop. I feel like I’m trying to be everything for everyone, and I’m straddling between two worlds, and it’s breaking me. Literally.”

His arms tightened around her again, hating to see her this upset. 

“I need a break from teaching, too,” she exhaled. “The upper level classes only. At least for a few months, because it already hurts having to stop and if I keep at it, I know I’m going to do something like this again.” She sighed. “I need to keep my kids classes though, and Daisy’s class. Because I need those for the little sanity I have left, and to keep going. Besides, this company director gig is a full time job in and of itself, and you probably need me to focus on that first.”

“Are you sure about all of this?” He asked quietly, not wanting to push. 

“No…” was her first response. “…but, yes.” She sighed.

“James said something to me earlier that made a lot of sense,” she continued, another swipe under her eye. “He said when the expiration date comes, your life isn’t actually over - you just get to find a new one. And I don’t want to live in resentment of that. So I’m trying to figure out what that’s going to look like now, before it’s too late.”

“Your health is the most important thing to me,” he said. “I’m going to support you in whatever you think you need to do to maintain that. And if this is it - and if you’re sure - well, I’m going to love you through it, and we’re going to figure it out.”

She smiled through her tears, soon exhaling tension she didn’t realize she had been holding in. “I’ll let us pay me that full company director salary now,” she joked with a small chuckle. Blake couldn’t help with chuckle himself. 

“You’re in charge of salaries and own half of this company, pay yourself whatever you want,” he grinned, and now Gwen was laughing. “I told you a long time ago to give yourself a raise.”

“Is this how you normally handle business?” Gwen inquired, eyes narrowing. 

“I’ve been known to be generous,” he poked back, pecking a kiss on her cheek. Gwen’s tears had mostly stopped, something she was grateful for. Blake nudged her a bit. “I do have a question for you, though,” he began, as he watched her gaze turn up to him. “That new life of yours you mentioned that you get to find now. What does that look like for you?”

Her eyes widened a bit at the question, as it was the first time she had considered it as a whole. “Oh,” she began, her brain starting to work through the details. “I guess I don’t fully know yet.” She paused to think on it a few moments longer. “I think at the end of the day, I’ll be content if I can manage to figure out how to gain satisfaction and find purpose without putting on pointe shoes. If I can feel valuable not dancing.”

“Does that life include room for me?” He asked softly, steering the conversation a bit more as he intended. Her head whipped back to look at him - a confused smile on her face as she tilted her head. 

“Of course it does,” she responded, keeping her nerves at bay over what the potential line of questioning was going to be after that. “If anything, that’s the only thing I’m sure of that I want.” She paused. “If I’ve learned anything about myself recently, it’s how bad off I was before you got here, and how much good has come out of just having you as a part of my life,” she said. “And I truly mean that.”

Blake hummed. “Stay put,” he said, and hopped up to leave.

“What?” She replied with a laugh. “Where are you going?”

“Don’t move,” he said one more time before exiting. Gwen sighed, nervously biting her lip as she moved the ice off of her foot, but did as he requested. A few minutes later, he was walking back into the room. Gwen gave him a once over, not seeing any difference.

“What was that all about?” She asked, tilting her head to the side with a laugh. 

“One of the things I love about you is how much you surprise me,” Blake said. “It never fails. I think I have things all planned out, or I know what’s going on, and you flip the script and it turns out to be something different. Coming in here to check on you, I had no idea - never could have imagined - that this was going to be it, but you managed to do it again - you flipped the script on me, and I had to run to catch up, literally.” He smiled and laughed, a little out of breath as he started walking towards her to join her again.

“Blake, English, please,” Gwen started laughing at him. “What are you talking about?”

As soon as he produced a diamond ring from his pocket and dropped to one knee next to the physical therapy table she was sitting on, she stopped laughing immediately as her mouth dropped open. 

“I do want to spend the rest of my life with you,” he began again. “I want to build a life with you, a company with you, a family with you. I realize this might look crazy to everyone else but I don’t care. I know what I want, and I have never been so in love in my entire life,” he breathed. “So here I am, on one knee in a physical therapy office, asking the woman I love if she wants that, too - if she wants me to be a part of her new life.”

Her body and features were frozen, momentarily convinced she was imagining everything happening in front of her. She couldn’t speak, or move, or process.

“Gwen Renee Stefani, will you please make me the happiest man in the entire world and marry me?”

She was speechless, to put it mildly. She was shocked, confused, a range of emotions as she stared at him on one knee. Her eyes caught briefly on the ring, her eyes then going back up to him.

“You’re insane,” she managed, her mouth moving but no other words coming out. “You…”

“…you’re about to tell me that I have no idea what I’m trying to get myself into,” he finished, as her attempt at speaking was quite unsuccessful. “You’re about to tell me I’m making a mistake, that I haven’t seen enough of you to understand who you are. And neither of those things would be true, because I know you so well that I know that’s the exact lie you always tell yourself, it’s the lie that keeps you safe even when it breaks your own heart.” He exhaled. “You are stubborn. You overdo everything. You see the world in a different way that I do, one that doesn’t often make sense to me until you make it make sense. You are an entirely different person now than when I got off that plane - you work hard to include me, you have opened up so much. I’ve seen you at your worst, and I’ve seen your heart. You have an amazing heart. And it’s just like Marianne told you in that letter - the person you are is beautiful, and worth sharing with the world. And before too many people catch onto that, I’ve gotta take a risk here and try to get a ring on your finger.”

He grinned, letting out a soft laugh after his little monologue concluded. Somewhere in the middle of it, her shock had softened by the end of it, she was smiling through new tears.

“Please come here,” she whispered softly. He stood, and closed the distance between them. Her arms were up around his neck without hesitation, and she kissed him deeply. Hungrily. His arms held her tightly around her waist, pulling her body into his as he returned the intensity. 

She pulled her lips back slightly to breathe, her forehead resting against his. His hand rested on her cheek as she took another deep breath, exhaling it before she finally gave an answer. 

“I had no idea how broken I was before you came back,” she began. “I didn’t know how angry I was, I didn’t realize all of the negative things I was holding on to.” She shut her eyes tight, swallowing. “What I’m trying to say is, the person I am because of you is the best version of myself. And I want to be that person for the rest of my life.”

“Is that a yes?” he quickly asked, perhaps a little too much so. It caused Gwen to laugh, and her arms to go back up around him, pulling him into a tight hug.

“That’s a _hell_ yes,” she whispered and laughed again. As soon as the news hit his ears, he grabbed her tighter in a hug.

“Oh my god,” was all he said. “Jesus, can I tell you how hard it is right now to resist grabbing you and twirling you in the air?!”

Gwen started laughing harder at the thought, shaking her head as she pulled out of the hug and pressed her lips against his again with a newfound desperation. Her hands grasped onto the fabric of his shirt, pulling him nearer.

“Closer,” she managed in between kisses. “Get up here with me.”

Her demand was satisfied as Blake climbed onto the table with her, Gwen laying back flat as he hovered on top of her. Once he was sure he was in no position to accidentally hurt her, his lips were on hers again. She wrapped her legs around him, demanding him closer.

“Wait,” he pulled up slightly, pulling the ring in his hand into view between them. He propped on one elbow as he reached for her ring finger, sliding it on slowly, his eyes locked on hers. He kissed her hand sweetly, and she offered him a smile. “That was all,” he said, which made her chuckle for the brief seconds her lips were without his. As soon as they landed against hers again, her tongue darted into his mouth even more desperately. 

The door opened abruptly, which made both of them unexpectedly jolt, but they did not make a move to move off of each other. As soon as Darla’s eyes fell on them, she scoffed. 

“You ballerinas and your inability to keep your tights on,” she commented, throwing her arms up in the air. “First the pointe shoes, now the sex, god, the sex…” she mumbled something indistinct in her native tongue, losing the words in English. 

Gwen propped herself up on her elbows, held a finger to Blake’s chest to silently tell him to stay where he was, and she then looked over to Darla. She held her hand up, trying to catch her eye with the ring now on it. 

It took Darla a few moments to see it - her annoyance and disdain shedding immediately as something Gwen could only describe as a squeal escaped the older woman’s lips.

“Oh!” Darla exclaimed, lunging forward to grab Gwen’s hand to look at the ring. Darla looked at it, then to Gwen, then to Blake who was still mounted on top of her. She let Gwen’s hand go, placing one hand on Gwen’s cheek, and the other on Blake’s shoulder. “That’s different. Oh my god,” she gasped. “I’m so happy for you both!”

Blake’s head hung as he laughed, catching Gwen’s eye in the awkward and compromised position they were in. She giggled a bit, then looked back to Darla expectantly. 

“Oh, fuck,” she said, immediately withdrawing her hands and backing away. She abruptly turned around, rushing to leave. “Carry on. Please.” She shut the door loudly, and only a moment passed before Blake and Gwen were laughing in hysterics.

“Well, I can’t say I anticipated that,” Blake said through his laughter. Her hand grasped the fabric of his shirt, pulling his lips back to hers. 

“I think she just gave us permission to fuck,” Gwen murmured, a smile coming to her face as she kissed him again. 

“I think she wanted to watch,” Blake said, and they both began laughing hysterically again. They sat up together on the table, his arm going around her as she leaned into him. She held out her hand in front of her, gazing at the new piece of jewelry on her finger.

“Do you like the ring?” He asked, placing a kiss on top of her head.

“It’s perfect,” she whispered. It was simple and elegant, and took her breath away all at the same time. “You didn’t have to get me something so expensive.”

“Don’t even think about that,” he nudged her. 

There was a tentative knock at the door, which drew Gwen’s attention up to it.

“Come in?” she called out, a little confused.

James poked his head in. “Everything, uh, decent in here?” Gwen looked back to Blake with a look on her face, and just started laughing. The other dancer came all the way inside, a big grin on his face. “Anything new with you, perhaps?”

Gwen chuckled in response. “I should have known Darla had gotten to half of the studio by now.”

“At least she told me to knock!” James pranced inside, and it was then that Gwen caught a handful of others behind him. He came immediately to Gwen, throwing his arms around her. “I’m so happy for you, doll face.”

“Thank you,” she exhaled, hugging him back. “Not a bad new life, hmm?”

Soon, Amanda and a few others came up to them as well, taking turns giving Gwen and Blake congratulatory hugs. It was all too easy, and all too welcome, as she let herself get lost in those moments.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo did you see it coming? There's no way you saw that coming, right? :)


	29. Sex and Candy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dearly beloved - this is _not_ a vanilla sex chapter. This is 6300 words of medium kink and fuckery. 
> 
> You've been warned! xo

She was laughing again. If you had asked her what she was laughing about, she probably couldn’t have told you the details. Her brain and her senses had been on overdrive ever since Blake slipped a ring on her finger, and suddenly everything was so much more agreeable, light, even easy.

She was lounging on the couch now - relaxed and simple as she wore tiny athletic shorts, a sports bra and a loose tank. Her wine glass came to her lips as she smiled, her eyes locking with Blake’s.

“How are your feet this cold??” he exclaimed, as they came in contact with his bare skin. He teasingly ran a finger up the length of her foot, which caused her to retract it from him and squeal.

“Blake!” she gasped. “You can’t do that to me!”

“What?” he asked, lunging at her suddenly and doing it again, causing the same reaction. “Oh, that?”

She was laughing again, even as she curled herself into a ball, trying to tuck her feet away from his view. “Stooooop,” she whined, even as she giggled at him. 

He was laying across the couch, baby blues looking up at her sweetly. “But I just wanted to give you a foot massage…” he grinned.

“A foot massage?” she sipped on her wine again and giggled. “You’re a weirdo. Nobody in their right mind ever wants to see a ballet dancer’s feet. I can’t believe you even let me roam the house without socks on.”

“Aww, they’re not that bad,” he replied. “Don’t you trust me?”

“Don’t ask questions you don’t want answers to,” she said pointedly, with a grin, as she tipped her wine glass at him. 

His arms went around her legs loosely, resting in her lap. He kissed the outside of her thigh as he looked at her. “Please?”

Gwen giggled and sighed, finishing off her glass and setting it on the end table behind her. Blake was persistent, placing another kiss on her thigh, his hand rubbing gently up and down one of her legs. Gwen bit her lip and allowed a few moments to pass before she slowly released her legs to him. Blake grinned as soon as she did, swinging up into a sitting position to bring them across his lap.

His warm hands took hold of one of her freezing cold feet, and slowly he began to massage it. Gwen was focused on keeping her eye on him, but soon hummed her approval and slowly let herself relax. 

“That feels nice,” she said softly, offering him a smile. “Your hands feel nice.”

“Good,” he smiled back. A few minutes passed. “Do you want me to try the other one?” Of course, he was referring to the foot that Gwen had beaten up so much lately.

“Mhmm,” she nodded. “Just not too hard.”

Blake shifted his hands, closing them around her other foot for a moment to warm it up, before his thumbs gently began kneading again. 

“We did a good job on that homemade pizza tonight,” she commented next. “We need to remember to do that again.”

“So much better than delivery,” Blake agreed. “Especially because I got to make out with you while we made it.”

“Cooking and kissing…one of my favorite combinations lately.”

“What else is one of your favorites?” he asked curiously.

“Mmm…sex and candy,” she replied simply, which caused him to laugh.

“Have we done that?” He asked.

Gwen was now also laughing. “No, but that song is in my head and it’s the first thing that came to mind.”

Blake smiled and chuckled at her, shaking his head. His ears instantly perked up when, out of nowhere, she launched into singing the lyrics - her low, sultry voice throwing him off his game.

_  
And then there she was  
Like double cherry pie  
Yeah there she was  
Like disco superfly_

_I smell sex and candy here  
Who’s that lounging in my chair  
Who’s that casting devious stares  
In my direction  
Mama, this surely is a dream…  
_

Silence followed. Until…

“Well, I’m hard now,” Blake said simply, stunned. 

The forthright statement sent Gwen into a fit of laughter, and Blake joined along. After a few moments their laughter died down, and his eyes went over to her. “I’m serious Gwen, your voice…” he scoffed and shook his head. “You have an incredible voice. Jesus, where did that come from?”

A small smile rested on her features as she downcast her eyes from his, not able to take the compliment. 

“You have wine ears, Blakey,” she said with a giggle, in reference to the fact that they’d both had a few glasses that evening. 

Blake groaned. “I’ll let you off the hook for tonight, but don’t think I’m not going to come back to that one later,” he warned, before switching the subject. “I like the nickname, by the way. I notice you only use it when you’re happy or horny,” he said with a chuckle, then raised his eyebrow. “Which is it now?”

She giggled. “Both?”

“Lucky for you, I’ve already planned a surprise for this evening that’s right up the alley of _both_ …”

“A surprise?” Her voice elevated as she perked up with a grin. “You’re going to kill me with all of these surprises, the last one was an engagement ring!”

Blake chuckled. “Someone has to keep you on your toes,” he said without thinking, then he started laughing at his own joke. “Oh my god, and it’s funny because you’re a ballerina too.”

Gwen was laughing again. “You and your dad jokes might kill me first, actually.” She sat up straight, pulling her legs back as she sat on her knees next to him. She kissed him sweetly on the cheek, before hovering at his ear. “I want my surprise, Blakey. Where is it?”

His arms reached over, pulling her to straddle and sit on his lap. His hands smoothed the fabric of her tank top as they went over her body, stilling only as she leaned forward and kissed him deeply, her hands resting on his neck. 

“I’m so happy with you,” the light, innocent and genuine words spilled out unexpectedly from her mouth and were breathed against his skin. Blake’s lips lunged forward, taking her for another deep, long and passionate kiss. 

“There’s a box waiting for you on the bed,” he whispered against her ear, before his lips went to her neck. “I didn’t really mean for it to be an engagement gift, but I think it will be fun to use in our private celebrations…”

“It’s going to be difficult to care about a dumb box if you don’t stop kissing me like that,” she breathed with a giggle. She moved his head up to hers again, and her lips pressed into his.

He let out a small laugh. “Okay, I’ll stop,” he said. “…for now.”

Gwen’s eyebrow raised before she swung her leg over and stood up, Blake following a few beats after her. She was like an excited and curious kid as she took Blake’s hand, making him walk with her back to the bedroom with her. She stopped at the door frame, eyes resting on a medium sized red box sitting on the bed, a white bow on top. 

She looked up to him incredulously, as if she was trying to get a clue as to what it was. 

“What’s in the box?” she asked sweetly, pressing onto her toes to plant kisses on his neck in case it may sway more information out of him. 

“The only way you’re gonna find out is if you open it,” he said with a nonchalant shrug. She sighed and rolled her eyes as he pretended to be immune to her touches in those moments. She squeezed his hand and pulled him along with her, a few moments in and she let go to crawl on top of the bed with it. Blake did the same, coming behind her, his hands stroking her arms gently. The kisses he placed on her neck distracted her again, as she focused on arching back to expose more skin to him for the taking. 

“Before you open it,” he said, his hand stroking down her arm. “Everything you’ll see in there is just an option. No pressure.”

“Oh my god, you bought us sex toys,” the realization hit as her head whipped around to look at him. Both of them started laughing. “You totally did!”

“Are you mad?” He asked sheepishly. 

“Oh my god are you kidding, _no_ ,” she emphasized, before pressing her lips against his. “I’m turned on right now, actually.”

She grinned and reached forward, pulling the lid off the top of the box. His arms rested loosely around her waist, holding her, as her eyes took in the contents. 

“Holy shit,” was all she said at first, and she let out a small laugh. “Did you buy everything they had?”

“I wanted to make sure my girl had options,” he shrugged and laughed. “I did, however, take the liberty to already have the bed restraints set up and ready in case you wanted to go that route. They go under the mattress and take a little while to set up.”

“How thoughtful,” she pecked a kiss on his cheek, and began digging through. She pulled out the first small box. “Already found those vibrating nipple clamps you mentioned. Not surprised they’re on top.” She grinned sweetly at him. 

“I think you’re going to like those a lot,” he said, placing a kiss on her neck. “Come ‘ere…” His hands moved to the hem of her tank top and he pulled it up and over her head. He unclasped her sports bra from the back, and repeated the motion. She opened the box, and Blake reached inside to pull out the device. The anticipation had already hardened her nipples in arousal. 

She watched his hands as they handled the small devices - his fingers large in contrast. She felt like she was ready to explode as his hand cupped under her breast before his two fingers held her nipple to gently clamp the device onto it. He swiftly repeated the same movements on her other breast. 

“There’s a third one,” she said, realizing another dangling.

“I promise we’ll use that one later, too,” Blake said. Gwen looked over to him with a confused look - sometimes her naivety could kill him. He kissed her cheek before whispering in her ear. “It’s for your clit.”

“Oh!” she exclaimed, with a sudden realization. Before she could laugh or say anything else, Blake pressed the button on the small remote control device, causing her to gasp. Her hands reached back and grabbed onto his thighs, clenching tightly as she let herself lean back into him. 

“Fuck,” she breathed, and only a moment later, he pressed the button to take it to the next level.

“I have a feeling we like this one?” Blake asked with a laugh. 

“Yes,” she whimpered softly, biting her lip hard. “Blake, I’m never going to get through that box if you don’t…”

He chuckled again, hitting the kill switch on the toy. The sudden loss of stimulation was shocking to her, and her hands went to gently pull the clasps off as she struggled to catch her breath. 

“Fuck,” was all she could say again. To distract herself, she shook her head, and moved forward to the rest of the box. “Blindfold…handcuffs…we’ll definitely need both,” she said, as she set them to the side. “Feather on a stick,” she giggled, and tickled his nose with it before also setting it aside. “Three…wait, _four_ different vibrators? Really?”

“They all do different things!” Blake protested. 

“Mmm…candle sticks,” she looked up to him questioningly, but continued to dig. “Edible massage oil…edible lingerie…door swing…” she laughed. “I’m psychic, because there is literally sex _and_ candy in this box…” she looked at the picture and started to laugh a little, before turning to him. “You literally bought everything.”

“Trust me, I got a lot, but there was a lot of other things I left well enough alone,” he said with a laugh, and traced a finger down her arm. “So, my little nymph, what do you want to do first?”

She smiled and bit her lip, cocking her head to the side as she did a once over on him. “Stand up,” she said softly. He obliged. 

She was right behind him, and she unexpectedly dipped out of the bedroom, coming back a minute later as she pushed one of the dining room chairs into the room. She positioned it at the end of the bed. Without a word, she went over to him, pressing up to kiss him as she tugged at his belt.

“Strip,” she said, as she undid his buckle. He pulled his shirt off in one swift movement, looking down just in time to see Gwen’s hands pull his jeans and underwear down to the ground. She let her hands run up his naked body as she stood back up, pressing herself into him as she felt him getting hard. 

“Sit,” she said next, with a nod over to the chair. She slapped his ass playfully as he passed her by, and she went back over to the box. She removed it from the bed, setting it on the nightstand, but not before plucking the pair of handcuffs out to be used. She tugged his arms gently behind the chair and handcuffed him to it.

“Intrigued?” she whispered into his ear from behind, her fingers tracing down his chest in a teasing manner. 

“Fuck, I’m so turned on right now,” he admitted freely.

“Good,” she pecked a kiss on his cheek, and slid her shorts down her legs, leaving her in just a thong. She came around to the side, sliding her leg across him to straddle and sit on his lap. Her hands went to both sides of his head as she kissed him deeply, and teasingly moved her center against his hard dick. Blake was already having trouble being restrained, as his arms tested the handcuffs when his hands naturally wanted to touch her body. 

“It’s hard, isn’t it, not being in control?” she asked sweetly, before she kissed him again. “This is only the beginning.” She arched up, directing his mouth to one of her nipples and forcing him to take it. He began to tease and suck on it, which caused Gwen to moan and arch back slightly, her body grinding into his. She pulled him back, then offered him the other one, which he took immediately.

She pulled her breast away from him, replacing it with her lips and another deep, long kiss. 

“Fuck, you are so fucking sexy,” Blake breathed, just barely. 

“You’re going to watch me play with myself,” she said. “I’m going to make myself orgasm, and then I’m going to make you orgasm. And all you’re going to be able to do is watch, and not get to participate in any of it.” She kissed him again deeply, and a moment later, she withdrew herself from him, and walked to the side of the bed. She piled the pillows in the middle of the headboard, grabbed a few things from the box and then crawled onto the bed.

He was watching her in stunned silence as she settled onto her back, the pillows arching her up. She slid her thong down her legs and flung it at him, and she giggled as it landed on his shoulder.

“How’s the view?” she asked, spreading her legs open to get comfortable. 

“You really should have glued this chair to the ground,” he groaned, fighting against the cuffs again. He managed to make the chair inch forward slightly, as he was dying for his hands and mouth to be all over her in those moments. 

She bit her lip and kept her eyes on him as she clipped the two nipple clamps back onto herself. She reached for the remote, and took a few moments to work herself up a few stimulation levels. 

“Don’t worry Blakey, I’ll save the third one for you for later,” she breathed, and set the remote aside. Her hand then grabbed one of the regular vibrators, and she began to teasingly drag it along her inner thigh, towards her center. “Oh fuck,” she gasped, the intensity of the vibrations still somewhat new to her. Her hand went down to play with her clit, not quite ready yet to give herself the vibrator. 

“God damnit,” he groaned. “I want to fuck you so bad.” His dick was already so hard, it nearly hurt, and was definitely begging for relief. 

Gwen moaned as she shifted slightly, and she jolted and gasped as one of the vibrations hit in a different way. Her eyes opened and caught his right before she slowly moved the tip of the vibrator to her clit after holding off for so long. Her body arched and she moaned desperately as her free arm went behind her head, tucking behind the pillow and clutching onto it to find just a bit of grounding in everything.

She was depriving and teasing herself - she’d let the vibrations hit right up against her, and as the stimulant grew, she’d pull it back slightly and cause herself even more anguish. 

Her eyes went to him in the middle of her games. “I like seeing you cuffed up on that chair,” she said sweetly, before she shifted the vibrator back and moaned even louder. 

“Fuck,” Blake groaned. “Just wait until I get ahold of you…” His words were lost again somewhere amongst her cries of pleasure. She changed the settings, settling on one that simulated a grinding rhythm, her hips immediately and naturally grinding up into the vibrator to match it.

“Give yourself more,” Blake demanded, impatient. “Get yourself off for me, _now_.” 

“Now who’s the impatient one?” she cooed, her body writhing as she arched it again. “You have no control in this. I will get myself off when I want…and how I want…”

“Fuck,” he cursed again. “ _Gwen_ …” he whined, unable to get any other words out.

She bit her lip, as she killed the power to the vibrator in her hand and set it aside. That alone frustrated her and she moaned softly, and crawled to the end of the bed where he was at. She offered a sly smile as she moved off the bed and went to her knees in front of him, and she immediately took him deep into her mouth.

Blake cried out at the sudden overstimulation and relief as she sped up the pace - and fast.

“Fuck, fuck fuck,” his body tensed as his teeth grit together, and he didn’t even notice at first when Gwen hopped up to straddle him and pushed him inside of her suddenly. She didn’t waste any time there either, as she was soon riding and grinding against him at a fast pace, her hands using his shoulders to brace herself against him. She was moaning loudly as she worked him in and out of her. 

Blake, with nothing else he was able to do except feel like he was going to internally explode, was desperate for something. His mouth lunged forward and jerked one of the nipple clamps off of her and began sucking hard, something he was proud of as only moments later it sent her screaming in pleasure as she was very obviously riding out her orgasm on top of him. Even as hers started she thrust harder into him, making sure she was able to bring him along for the ride. When she was sure Blake was with her, only then did she allow herself to relax and finish the ride, eventually slumping against his chest to rest. 

It took her a few minutes of stillness before the overstimulation still on her right nipple became apparent, and she lazily but quickly reached up to snatch it off as she whined under vibrations. Her arms reached behind the chair and hit the release on Blake’s cuffs. It took him a minute to realize he was free, and his arms came up and around Gwen’s body, holding her against him as they both worked to catch their breaths.

His hands lazily, but definitively, dragged up and down her arms. Once he had an inkling she had mostly recovered, his lips went to her ears.

“Gwen…” he said, waiting on her to respond, which she did a moment later as she hummed. “What’s your safe word?”

Those words got her attention.

She perked up to life as she sat up on top of him, her eyes meeting his - getting lost in his, and the anticipation that was creeping up in her stomach.

“Tell me what it is,” he beckoned her softly, not letting it drop. 

She struggled and said the first random word that came to mind. “Amsterdam,” she breathed. 

“Amsterdam,” he repeated, placing a delicate kiss on her lips. “Say it one more time.”

“Amsterdam,” she obliged, her dark eyes suddenly turning so innocent as the anticipation was rising even more. 

“Good girl,” he commended her, and her heart skipped a beat at those words. “Now get across my lap.”

Her eyes widened at his demand. Her lips went to move, but his finger pressed into them gently.

“I won’t ask again,” he warned, his tone still soft, but now a bit of an edge to it. 

She felt a fire light underneath her as she moved to stand up next to him, already missing him inside of her. As she laid across his lap, he adjusted and helped her to get into a comfortable position. Unexpectedly, his hand went in between her legs, his fingers now playing with her clit.

She moaned and whined as her body jerked slightly, still feeling the sensitivity there, but also losing herself to how good it felt. 

“You’re not in change anymore,” he said. “I am. Is that understood?”

She whined and moaned again, but couldn’t manage to answer him with words. Abruptly he withdrew his fingers and spanked her right cheek, causing her to gasp. 

“Is that understood?” He asked again. 

“Yes, sir,” she cooed quickly in submission.

His right hand smoothed over her ass, while his left hand unexpectedly dipped underneath her in the front and tugged at her sensitive, erect nipples. It caused her to gasp and writhe under him, the stimulation being more intense than before. Finally he gave her some relief in the form of something else to focus on as he withdrew his right hand - spanking her in succession between both cheeks, for a total of twelve. The pleasure mixed with the slight sting of pain was blowing her mind. When he stopped, she found herself gasping for air in the same way they both had been only moments earlier. 

She laid still as his hand caressed her full backside, and only jolted as his hand went back in between her legs to play with her again. 

“You enjoyed that,” he stated, his fingers swirling in the added wetness he felt at her center. 

“Yes, sir,” she responded again with a moan, not wanting to have him ask twice. He withdrew his hand, and unexpectedly spanked one of her cheeks again, causing her too yelp in surprise. 

“Why don’t you be a good girl and go lay on the bed now, and wait to be tied up,” Blake suggested, his hand stroking her backside again. He helped her up, and held her hands as she seemed a bit dizzy from the pleasure. He stood up with her, his arms going around her as he kissed her deeply.

“You okay?” he whispered into her ear, just needing to check on her even if it meant a quick pause.

“Better than okay,” she whispered back, placing a kiss on his cheek. She turned to walk to the side of the bed, climbing on top of it, laying on her back. She looked over to him biting her lip through a small smile. 

Blake walked over to the bathroom linen closet, retrieving a full sized towel. He tossed it gently at her.

“Put this underneath you,” he said. She shifted up and opened the towel, doing what he asked. Blake had walked over to the box on the nightstand, tossing the blindfold onto the bed next to her. He walked around the bed to the opposite side, crawling on top next to her. His hand stroked down her naked body, taking it in. He stroked down her arm, grasping her wrist as he extended her arm up over her head to the corner of the mattress. 

Gwen watched him secure the first cuff around her wrist, her body moving up slightly as he tightened the first restraint. He straddled across her, soon doing the same for her second arm, and securing it tight. 

“Tight enough?” He asked, tugging on the restraints. 

“Yes,” she exhaled as she tugged at them. They were just tight enough where she couldn’t really move at all, but she could tell she would be able to grab back onto the straps if she needed to. 

“I like seeing you tied down on my bed,” he teased, playing off of her earlier words about him being cuffed to the chair. His hand ran down her body as he went to the first ankle, securing it and tightening it, and quickly moved to the other one. She exhaled as she was tied down tightly in the shape of an X, with only a slight bend allowed for at the knees. 

His leg slid across her and he straddled her torso, bending forward and kissing her deeply. He trailed his kisses down her neck. “Do you trust me?” he asked softly.

Gwen arched back, opening her neck even more to him. “I do,” she responded with an exhale. 

“Good,” he breathed, sliding the blindfold across her eyes, and securing it behind her head. He took her lips with his as her other senses began to heighten. “I want to try something with you that I haven’t done with anyone before - I think you’ll like the sensation,” he explained, kissing her neck again. “But if you don’t, you need to speak up. Tell me your safe word again.”

“Amsterdam,” she responded. 

“Good,” he responded. “I have a lot planned for you tonight. And I want you to test your limits. I want you to hold on as long as you can. But as soon as you don’t think you can take anymore, I need you to say that. Okay?”

“Okay,” she breathed. “Blake…kiss me again?”

A small smile came to his face. His arms went underneath her and he kissed her passionately. When the kiss broke off, he observed the smile on Gwen’s features that soon turned to a lip bite. She was starting to anticipate his next move.

He sat up, reaching for the nightstand as he retrieved and opened a small bottle. From behind the blindfold, Gwen was trying to make sense of the faint noises as the cap opened. Her body shook slightly as Blake’s hands were over her body, massaging an oil onto her. She sighed, enjoying his touch, wiggling only as he played with her more sensitive areas. His hands ran up and down her arms, her breasts and torso, her hips and to the inside of her thighs.

Her mind was tracing his movements, unsure where it was going, but enjoying the sensual massage. His finger swiped playfully at her center and she couldn’t stop the squeal that came out, but the restraints certainly helped contain her sudden jolt. 

“Glad to see the restraints work,” he murmured softly. “Might need to test them a little more though…” She suddenly felt a vibrator at her core and he flicked it on and up a few levels, causing her to gasp and fight the restraints wildly. They kept her contained and under his control so well that he didn’t even flinch as he watched her body writhe underneath him. 

“Fuuuuuckk…” she breathed sharply, her hands grabbing onto the straps of the restraints. His low chuckle came next as he hit the kill switch, his lips then placing a teasing kiss right at her center. 

“Don’t worry, we’ll come back to you,” he said softly. Gwen attempted to twist her body, realizing he wasn’t touching her any more. She was searching for him, confused where he had gone. Blake watched her from the side of the bed, waiting until she stilled herself and gave up. 

She heard a match strike and light. She felt restless, annoyed that Blake was lighting candles instead of touching her, and she sighed.

What she didn’t realize at the moment was the candle Blake lit was for her.

He waited a few minutes, allowing the wax to begin to gather. He held out the back of his hand to test it, letting it drip in small droplets onto his skin. Once he was satisfied, he moved to sit in between her legs, still not touching her. Gwen had a general idea of where he was at and was growing impatient as she groaned in frustration. 

Blake didn’t announce his intentions, and moved the candle forward to hover just over a foot above her skin, letting the wax drip in droplets slowly down her inner thigh.

As soon as the first droplet hit her body shook and she gasped at the sudden foreign sensation. He leaned forward, his hand resting and securing her hip to allow her to move even less, as he slowly continued. The anticipation and timing of the drops was driving her insane as she tried to fight to move her body. Blake moved the candle to her other thing, repeating the painstakingly slow process all over again.

“What is that??” she gasped, obviously enjoying the slight stinging sensation, and the feeling of the wax trickling down her inner thighs before hardening.

“Foreplay candles,” he said, moving to place another kiss at her center which caused her to jolt again. “Are you enjoying them?”

“Fuck,” she gasped. “ _Yes_.”

He switched the candle to his other hand to hold upright, his fingers moving back to the first thigh. He took hold of the hardened wax from the first droplet, and gently peeled it up and off her body. It was so sensual, she thought she was going to explode.

“Your thighs are shaking, baby girl,” his low accent came, placing another kiss on her center.

“I can’t help it,” she whined, as she fought against the restraints again. “I’m so turned on right now and I just…” His fingers moved to continue peeling the rest of the wax off one by one, feeling the sensation was more of a tickle the closer he moved to her core.

He blew out the candle, and set it aside before positioning himself in that exact spot.

“Remember what I said about testing your limits,” he said softly, kissing her there again. She whined and writhed, obviously begging him for more. “Because I’m about to test them.”

The warning created a sudden sense of heightened anticipation, as she felt him continue his slow, teasing kisses there. Without even so much as a warm up, his mouth was on her center intensely, starting off with an incredibly fast rhythm as his tongue went inside of her, and he began sucking her clit roughly.

Gwen nearly cried out in sudden shock as Blake took her so suddenly, the intense sensations drowning out any thoughts or other senses. She was moaning and groaning roughly, her breath ragged as he continued. 

“Oh my god oh my god,” she gasped and whined - it was all almost too much, the intense pleasure that was not slowing down any time soon. She briefly considered getting herself out of it, but decided in those moments that she did want her limits tested. She willed him to continue, knowing everything she was feeling was just an overstimulation of pleasure and it wouldn’t kill her, even if it felt like it could. 

Blake continued on for another minute then decided to give her a break, slowing his mouth down on her gradually, and coming off of her completely. Gwen was gasping for her breath, her hands clutched tightly at the restraints. 

She heard a vibrator of some kind hum to life. A moment later, Blake was hovering over her chest, his fingers playing with her nipples to set the clamps on them again. When he got both of them secured, he didn’t immediately turn them on. She gasped as she felt him hook the third one below, which inevitably did pave the way for Blake’s finger to hit the switch.

“Ohhhhh…” Gwen moaned, her body already jerking again and trying to find some form of relief. Blake hit the next level and she jerked again, a small smile coming to his lips.

He laid down next to her, his hand playfully caressing over her stomach, letting her enjoy the vibrations. The sounds she was making already had him hard and in need of relief himself. 

His hand reached down between her legs, and to her surprise, he flicked on one of the other vibrators against her center.

“Twooo…?!” She gasped, writhing again as she now had two vibrating sensations near her clit. She whined and tried to buck.

“Shh…” he whispered in her ear, and flipped the vibrator another two levels. The loud gasp and jerk rendered her unable to speak. He flipped it up another level.

She was incoherently making sounds instead of words, as she felt an even more intense stimulation than his mouth in overdrive had just managed.

“I’m gonna come I’m gonna come,” was all she said through short breaths. He pulled the second vibrator off of her completely. “No!” she screamed, and felt like crying, as the one left was nowhere near the pace she was begging for. “No please, please let me, please…”

“But I’m not done playing with you,” he murmured in her ear and kissed her cheek as she whined and writhed in unfulfilled anguish. 

“Ohh ohh…” the words escaped her mouth as soon as Blake placed the second vibrator on her again, though only on the first level. It was a small amount of relief, but not nearly enough. “Ohh please, Blake, I need more, please let me orgasm, I’ll do anything for it…” His lips were on her neck, and he waited a few moments before he turned it up another level. But then he didn’t stop, and pushed the vibrations even higher than he had done them before.

“Holy fuck holy fuck too much,” she gasped, violently fighting against the restraints. “I can’t I can’t I can’t I can’t,” she sucked in a breath when she realized she wasn’t breathing.

“But isn’t that what you wanted?” He cooed, not moving the vibrator away. It was on the highest speed, and her body was convulsing. He continued to torture her for a while with it, eventually relenting as he saw sensed she actually needed a break. He hit the kill switch completely, but it only took him a moment to turn it up to the second speed again, pulsing it up against her clit. 

“Now I’ll let you come,” he whispered. 

She whined and jolted. “I can’t do it,” she sucked in a breath. “I can’t.”

“Yes you can,” he encouraged her. “I’m going to help. Tell me what you need.”

“More,” she said breathlessly. “But..but not too much.” He immediately turned it up one more speed, and worked it against her core. “A little faster,” she barely got the words out. “Your hand, not the vibes.” He obliged, and she moaned and groaned. “Don’t stop this time, please, Blake, I can’t handle it if you do.”

“I promise I won’t stop this time,” he promised honestly. “Let yourself go now.”

Her breathing was more ragged as his promise seemed to be the one thing she needed to let the rest of her guard down, to allow herself to build back up to it. He curved the vibrator into her in just the right rhythm, and soon she was seeing stars as an orgasm felt like it was ripping through her entire body. It contracted and writhed harshly, taking every single ounce of strength left that she had to fully ride it through. 

As soon as her body slumped back onto the mattress, she made faint sounds of moaning and whining as she rested, trying to catch her breath. Blake set the vibrator aside, and worked to gently remove the three clamps as she came down completely. Blake reached back and pushed the release on the cuffs, moving to do the same for the other two below. She was so out of it, she didn’t even move, and her arms and legs stayed in position. He came back to laying next to her and reached up to gently undo the blindfold. Her eyes were shut underneath as she was still gasping for breath. His arm went across her waist, his lips pressing softly into hers.

“Good girl,” he chose his words wisely, and was rewarded with a faint smile on her lips.

He reached down and scooted the towel out from underneath her, tossing it to the side. Her body was limp, even shaking a little as he reached for her arms to pull them down from over her head. Blake tugged back the covers and pulled them on top of them both, turning Gwen on her side slightly and pulling her back into him as the little spoon. He tucked the covers around her body tightly and held her close. His free hand stroked her hair back gently.

Her body trembled against him, and gradually this lessened as time passed. He was careful not to touch her anywhere specifically sensitive as he focused on taking care of her as she came down and recovered. After laying like that for about ten minutes, he finally spoke. “How do you feel?” he asked.

“Shaky and fucked,” she shuddered, drawing closer to him.

“Good shaky and fucked?”

A tiny giggle. “Yeah. Good shaky and fucked.”

“Just rest, baby,” his arm tightened around her again. “Just rest now.”


	30. Takeoff

The moment she awoke, she immediately had to wonder if it all was a dream.

She was still the little spoon to his big spoon in his arms, perfectly and securely tucked by the duvet cover as she remembered him doing just before she doze off. Though she was facing opposite the window, her eye peeked open and she realized it was just light enough in the darkened room that the sun would be out relatively soon.

Gwen exhaled softly, her body shifting just in the slightest and she held in a groan as she felt her calf muscles nearly on fire. As her mind wandered through the events of the night before, the intense amount of writhing and contracting he put her body through, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise. But she had never been so open with anyone before, it was a feeling like no other, and the sensations and after math still felt so new and unexpected. 

She felt Blake’s arm tighten a bit around her, and she momentarily wondered if it was an unconscious reaction, or if he also might be partially awake. She was completely drained of any life and didn’t want to move, and yet somehow, her desire to be even closer to him still won over. With her eyes still closed, she gently rolled over to face him, snuggling up to him even closer.

The gentle kiss on the top of her head and the soft hand that stroked back her blonde locks confirmed he was at least partially awake.

“Hi,” she said faintly, her eyes still closed.

“Good mornin’,” his low, groggy morning voice was something she’d never get over.

“You did a number on me, Blake Shelton.”

His chuckle was low, as his finger reached down under her chin and brought her up to him. He placed a delicate kiss on her lips. “A good number, I hope.”

“Mmm…” she kissed him again. “Yes, a good number. My calves are on fire though.”

“It’s all that movin’ around you do,” he joked with her, which made her grin through her tired eyes. 

“Arms too. Whole body, really.”

He kissed her again. “You should really learn how to stay still.”

Gwen couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t be a jerk.”

“Oh, but it’s so fun to tease you about it.”

“You said you liked that about me,” she said, then kissed him again. 

“I like a lot of things about you. I couldn’t possibly keep track of them all,” he grinned, kissing her neck. “Come here. Let me see if I can help a little.”

He directed her forward as Blake laid flat on his back. Gwen laid partially on top of him, one of her arms and legs flinging over him as she settled into the new position. Her head was just below his shoulder, his arm wrapping to hold her against him. His other hand traced along her arm and trailed down her back, massaging lightly. His pace slowed as his hand delicately moved over her ass, and paused completely as he felt her skin flinch under the touch.

“Your ass is hot,” he said, which simply caused Gwen to giggle and shake her head in response. Realizing she didn’t understand what he was saying, he tried again. “I mean…hot like, it’s hot to the touch…”

“What?” she questioned, looking up at him confused. He tugged back the covers partially, which caused her to cling to him more as the colder air hit her skin. 

“Shit,” he said with a sigh, then looking back to Gwen. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize your skin was that sensitive…”

“What’s wrong?” She asked, trying to look down at herself but not able to see anything. 

Blake looked back at the nightstand, shifting slightly as he extended his arm out to drag it onto the bed with them. Gwen stayed silent as he dug around a bit, pulling out a tube of aloe vera.

“I’ll go easier on you next time,” he promised. “Your ass is really red, and is still a bit hot. This should help some.”

She kissed him softly. “You don’t have to go easy on me, Blakey,” she offered him a grin. “Look, I can’t see what it looks like but it’s fine. I don’t even feel it, especially in comparison to my calves right now.” She paused. “Besides, every single thing you did to me last night was perfect. I wouldn’t change anything.”

Her body flinched as his hand began to smooth the cold aloe onto her bare skin. 

“My goal isn’t to hurt you,” Blake said, as Gwen sighed and relaxed into him. 

“I know that,” she confirmed. “I promise you I feel fine though. More than fine. Last night…” she bit her lip as words failed her. “Last night was the most intimate and open I’ve ever been with anyone. I’ve honestly never felt this safe, or loved, or just…accepted. And it’s really overwhelming sometimes because those are not things that have been commonplace in my life. I think that’s how you got me to fall for you so fast.”

Blake hummed. “I think for me, I fell for you as soon as you started screaming at me about the difference between toe shoes and pointe shoes…”

Gwen chuckled and hid her eyes with her hand, groaning. Blake laughed a bit, and shook his head.

“Okay,” he spoke again. “Besides my obvious childhood crush…and as soon as I realized that in the beginning you were grieving a lot more than I had realized…I think that realization let me look past the anger and the hurt and actually see _you_. And I think the first time it really hit me was when I saw you with Daisy, telling her you were going to fix her ballet shoes. Your guard was down, you didn’t know I was there - and you showed her a lot of love.” He paused. “Then I was intrigued, and I got to see more of you. You offered to help me when I really needed someone, and you fought so many demons just to love me back. And I don’t ever take that for granted.”

Her lips pressed against his, as she slid her hand to the back of his head, pulling him in closer to her. Blake closed the aloe bottle and set it aside, tugged the covers around them again and brought his arms back up and around her.

His lips soon trailed down her neck again. “…so all of that to say, I honestly love you more than anyone else I’ve ever loved, and I’m always going to check in on you, and make my intentions known. Because I would literally have a heart attack if I did too much, or went too far.” He paused. “Can you understand it from that angle?”

“Yes,” she breathed. “Because I love you, too. I understand.” She paused. “And when I give you the answer, your next step is to believe me.”

“Fair point,” he conceded. “By the way, just in case I wasn't clear...your hot ass is still looking very cute this morning."

Both laughed softly, Gwen nuzzling and cuddling back into him. His hand stroked up and down her back softly, holding her close. 

————

She stood at the terminal window at LAX, staring out at an airplane, her stomach full of knots. 

The morning had been hectic, though a welcome distraction to the pending trip they were about to embark upon. The idea of Blake taking his new fiancee to Oklahoma for a few days to meet his family sounded novel in theory, but in reality, it was stressful. Both of them had to shift around a considerable amount of work and responsibility to be away from the studio that long, especially Gwen, and she was still worried something would go awry when she was out of town. 

Her hands clutched the straps of her backpack as she watched some of the workers direct and move the planes around. She felt a warm hand on her shoulder, and she turned to see Blake walking up beside her, handing her a Starbucks cup. 

“Passion tea, extra honey,” he said, offering her a small smile.

“Thank you,” she said gratefully, blowing through the small opening before taking a small sip. 

“You’ve really never been on a plane before?” he asked again.

“I’ve never even left California,” she admitted. “And meeting your family…who is also Marianne’s family…”

“They’re going to love you,” he reassured her. 

“You have to remember, she was always weird about her family,” she responded. “Except you. But I didn’t even know anything about them until you told me recently.” She paused. “What if they don’t like me because I grew up with her? You said some of them really didn’t like her…”

“Hey,” he said gently, trying to break her train of thoughts in that direction. “They don’t care about any of that. You are your own person, and they are excited to meet you and get to know you. Some of them are a little offended I ran off and proposed without taking you out there first…” he chuckled, shaking his head. “But that’s my own fault, and they’re not going to hold that against ya.”

The gate agent a few feet away from them started to talk over the loud speaker, calling for First Class passengers to step forward. 

“Well, that’s our cue,” Blake grinned, swinging a small duffle over his shoulder. 

“Isn’t that the fancy people?” she asked naively. He took her hand, and pulled her along with him.

“I guess today, we’re fancy then,” he chuckled. 

“You’re insane,” she mumbled, exasperated. “How much did you pay for these tickets??”

“We really need to get your fixation off of money,” he said. “Babe, don’t worry about it. I want this to be a good experience for you. It doesn’t matter what they cost. You’re going to be more comfortable, especially for your first time.”

They stood in the short line, as she watched a few people in front of them produce their tickets for scanning.

“You have to remember that I’ve never exactly had money to spend,” she said quietly, drawing close to him. “I don’t know how to not worry about money.”

He sighed, kissing the top of her head. “Okay, you’re right,” he said. “I can understand that.” He paused. “But, you know that I own two businesses, and I’m a country music superstar in hiding, so can you trust I’ve got plenty in the bank to indulge in little luxuries like this?”

“I’m just not used to money being spent on me,” she said, as they came to the front of the line. Blake handed the two tickets to the gate agent for her to scan them. Gwen sipped her hot tea, thankful for the small relief it was bringing her nerves in those moments. Blake thanked the lady and took the tickets back from her, squeezing Gwen’s hand as they began walking toward the plane. 

Blake dropped her hand, holding the tickets out for her to hold, which she took and she watched him from the side to see what he was doing. He pulled out his phone, and messed around with it as they neared the entrance of the plane. 

“Here,” he said, taking the tickets back from her and handing her his phone instead. “That is a full listing of all of my assets - liquid and otherwise. All of my accounts are listed there, and all of my debts listed on the second tab.”

As soon as she realized what she was looking at, she shook her head and pushed his phone back to him. “Blake, I don’t need to see that. That’s your personal business.”

The stewardess greeted them at the entrance, and showed them to their seats. They were large, plush chairs that Gwen immediately settled down into by the window. After the stewardess took their drink order, he resumed their conversation. 

“We are engaged, Gwen, this is your business now,” he said quietly. 

“I don’t want you to think I’m ever with you because of money,” she responded at the same tone. “And that’s easier if I literally don’t know anything about it. Don’t you want a prenup?”

Blake looked at her, perplexed. Her practicality could kill him, sometimes, and render him speechless. “That hasn’t even crossed my mind,” he said.

“You should want one,” she said. “And I’m willing to sign whatever you want me to.”

“Gwen,” his face fell. She looked at him, and she suddenly felt bad. 

“I’m not trying to plan for failure, Blake,” she said delicately. “I’m just trying to think about this in a smart way. I have nothing to my name, save a company that we already split 50/50. I’m saying that you should protect yourself, and that I think it’s a good idea for you to do that.” She paused. “I love you so much, I just want you to be secure. I’m not going anywhere. But I want this to be fair, and if, god forbid, something did happen here…”

“…we would figure it out, like we do everything else,” he finished before she could. 

Gwen sighed. “I am not entitled to anything of yours,” she began. “I will admit, a hundred percent, I have my issues accepting things from other people. I don’t know how to handle people spending money on me sometimes. And I’ll work on that, because I know how happy it makes you and how much you want to. But in return, will you at least promise to talk to one of your fancy lawyers or bankers or whatever? Just a conversation. That’s all I ask.”

There were a few dings that sounded throughout the cabin, which made Gwen jump slightly. 

“Do you want me to keep fighting with you about this so you don’t have to think about the plane taking off?” He offered, half genuinely before he kissed the top of her hand. “It’s ok, planes make noises like that a lot.”

“I’m just nervous,” she admitted. 

Blake chuckled sadly. “I know, you’ve been at it for the past few days.” He paused. “I love you too, by the way.” His last statement caused her eyes to fixate on him, and she leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his lips.

The stewardess came back with the drinks he had ordered, which ended up being two shots of vodka and a regular coke for himself. He placed the two shots of vodka on the tray in front of Gwen. 

“They’re both for me?” she asked. “Why don’t you take one too?”

“I try to stay away from the hard stuff,” he said, sipping his coke. “I got them for you to help you calm down a bit.”

She reached forward and took the first one, throwing it back. She cringed as it went down her throat. “You own a vodka company and you don’t like to drink?” She paused, thinking back. She had only ever seen him take a swing of her flask once, and those had been particularly stressful circumstances.

“Oh, I liked to drink a little too much at one point,” he said, another sip to his coke. “I don’t completely avoid liquor, but it tastes like my worst days sometimes, so I try to really limit it.”

She took the other shot back, cringing it down, and reaching over for his coke, which he handed to her. She sipped on it to help the clear liquid disappear from her taste buds altogether. He reached over, taking the empty shot glasses, and handing them off to the stewardess with a nod. 

Someone began speaking over the loudspeaker, another person stepping forward with a fake seatbelt to show them how to fasten up. It was all new to her, and she was probably the only one paying attention. They held up some reading material cards, and she dutifully reached forward into the seat pocket to retrieve them when suggested. Blake’s hand went over hers before she could pull them out.

“Probably best you don’t look at those,” he suggested. 

“What if we crash?” she whispered. 

“I know what they say already,” he whispered back. “I’ll save you.”

She slumped back into her chair, watching the last of the safety presentation with less enthusiasm. All her brain caught onto was a picture she saw briefly of a cartoon person sliding down the wing of the airplane like it was a waterslide. She tapped Blake’s arm.

“I can’t swim,” she whispered to him.

“What?” his whispered confusion came back. 

“I don’t know how to swim, I can’t slide down the plane waterslide if we have an emergency water landing. I feel this is important information for you to know if you have to make a plan to save us.”

He wanted to laugh, she was naivety and persistence all rolled up in one. 

“I will put you on my lap to slide down the _plane waterslide_ if it comes to that,” he whispered back in return. 

The plane shook a bit, and her hand grabbed for his. 

“It moved,” she said, whipping her head around to look out the window. 

“It has to move for us to take off,” he explained. She was leaning forward expectantly, still obviously a bit nervous. “I think you’ll feel a bit better if you sit back. When we take off, you won’t be able to sit up straight anyways.”

“Why not?” her voice seemed alarmed, her eyes going to him.

His patience was evergreen. “The pilot has to make the plane go pretty fast to get it up in the air,” he explained. “The plane will lean you back in takeoff, but once we’re up, it will return to normal. Most of the time it will just feel like you’re on a bus.”

She did as he suggested, and settled back some in the chair. He leaned over the seat, pecking a kiss on her cheek as her gaze remained out the window. She hooked her arm under his, clinging to it now with both of hers wrapped around it as her body curled up to him. Her eyes wouldn’t move from the window. The plane bounced a little, and he felt her told cling just a bit tighter. 

“Don’t forget to breathe,” Blake mumbled softly. “If you don’t breathe when a plane takes off, you risk brain damage.”

“Are you being serious?!” her head whipped over to look at him. 

The smile on his face and the gentle, regretful laugh he gave her called his bluff. “No, I’m not. But now you’re going to think more about breathing.”

“Please don’t do that,” she said pathetically. 

“I’m sorry baby, I’m just trying to make you laugh,” he sighed. 

The plane turned a corner, hovered still for a moment, and her eyes went back to the window as the engines started to fire up.

“You’ll be alright,” he murmured into her ear. He couldn’t imagine what this experience was like for someone like Gwen who really had no idea what to expect, and he didn’t want to say anything else that might upset her. 

Her eyes closed tight and her grip tightened on him just before they were off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa! And that's chapter 30, folks <3
> 
> I still have more plans up my sleeve but I'd love to use this opportunity as a check in to see what you think!


	31. Ties That Bind

Even though they had physically been off of the plane for a few hours, the landing they experienced in Oklahoma City was jarring, to say the least. The turbulence on the way down was what first time fliers had nightmares about, even as Blake assured her it was relatively normal. The moment her feet stepped onto level ground, her entire body felt some sort of relief. 

“It won’t be as bad flying back,” Blake said, now from the driver’s seat of their rental truck. 

“Oh, I think you’ve sealed our fate and we just moved here permanently,” she said, half serious. “Is there any good spot to relocate the studio to out here?”

Blake chuckled. “I don’t think this is the right market, sadly.”

“I’ve never seen so much…nothing,” Gwen said, staring out the window. 

“You’re a city girl darling, that green stuff out there is called grass, by the way.”

Though ridiculous, Gwen let him have a chuckle to compliment his joke. 

“You know I want to meet your family, right? It was never a question of that,” she said softly, her eyes going to him.

“I know you do,” he affirmed. “And I also understand why you’re nervous. That’s ok too. I’m not going anywhere.”

She reached for his hand resting on the center console and squeezed it, her eyes on the scenery as it passed her by. 

It felt like forever, and yet too soon at the same time when Blake turned into a long, gravel driveway, which Gwen took to signal they had arrived. Her body was perched forward expectantly, taking in all of the details she could catch onto. 

She hopped out of the truck just as Blake walked around to her side, and she swallowed as she took his hand. There was something off about her stomach, and the current situation was not helping at all. She held herself together as Blake began walking towards the front door, Gwen just a half a beat behind, but following. 

Blake’s hand went to the doorknob to turn it, but it was locked. It confused Gwen that he would just enter a house that wasn’t his like that unannounced, but shook it to the side as he rang the doorbell. A figure came rushing to the front door, excitedly swinging it open and offering a huge smile.

“Blake!” The older woman squealed, throwing her arms around him.

“Hi mom,” he dropped Gwen’s hand to hug her fully. 

“It’s been so long since you’ve been home,” the woman said again, not letting Blake go at all.

“I know, I’m sorry, it’s been busy — “

“ — I know, I know, you and your crazy life. Just please don’t wait this long to come visit again, ok?” She turned to Gwen, the attention abruptly unnerving her. “And oh my god, you must be Gwen. I couldn’t believe when he called me and told me he got engaged and we hadn’t even met you yet!”

She was on the spot, and she was trying to stutter out the words, any words, but she froze. Her stomach turned again, and her face fell as she inhaled sharply.

“I..I..I’m sorry, where’s the bathroom?” she managed faintly. Blake’s mom stepped back, a look of concern on her face as she led Gwen inside. 

“Down the hall, last door on the left,” she said in a rush, and in a flash, Gwen’s feet carried her away from them in that direction. Blake’s mom looked over at him, concerned. 

“Rough couple of days,” he said with a sigh. “Nervous on the plane, and about meeting you all.”

“Well what on earth did you tell her about us that got her so spooked?” she asked. 

“I didn’t say anything bad!” he said through gritted teeth. “Maybe it just has something to do with Marianne. I haven’t really been able to figure it out, I just keep trying to tell her you all are excited to meet her…” He looked back over to his mom. “I’m going to go check on her.”

He made his way down to the end of the hall, knocking softly on the door. “Gwen? It’s me…” It was silent for a few moments before she cracked the door open, allowing him to see her.

“I’m sorry,” she said, exhaling. She was standing over the sink, eyes closed, shoulders hunched. 

“Don’t need to be,” he shrugged it off. “Are you alright?”

“That was horrible,” she said. He reached over to her, taking her hand to pull her in front of him. 

“It’s okay,” he reassured her with a smile. “You’ve had a long day, maybe the plane and the car ride together wasn’t the best combination.”

“I swear I’m not trying to ruin this,” she said with an exhale. Her head went back slightly, her free hand fanning her face. “My face feels hot.”

“Nobody thinks you’re trying to ruin anything,” he responded. “Just breathe,” he encouraged her, gently stroking his hand on one of her cheeks.

“Blake, I literally was two seconds away from throwing up on your mother.”

“Do you know how many times that woman has almost been thrown up on?” He chuckled. 

“Gwen?” Blake’s mom appeared and walked up to them, a bit timidly. Though it was a gentle interruption, it still seemed to startle her. “I just wanted to bring you something that might help that upset stomach of yours.” She held out a small container of tums. 

Gwen swiped under her eye, before reaching to accept it from her. “Thank you,” she almost whispered.

The older woman came up beside Blake, her eyes rested on the younger blonde. “My god, Blake, she’s an angel - she’s just gorgeous,” she said with a smile. “I understand now why you wanted to propose so fast!”

Gwen shut her eyes, slightly embarrassed, even as she let a small smile come to her lips. 

“Blake, why don’t you go say hi to the rest of the family. I’ll take care of Gwen, here.”

“I, uh — Gwen?” he looked to her, asking for permission. 

She nodded, knowing how much he wanted to see them. “Go, go say hi to your family,” she insisted, and forced a small smile. “I’m fine.”

He wasn't convinced as he looked back and forth between the two of them. “Okay,” he sighed, looking down to his mom, then to Gwen one last time. He reluctantly walked away, but deep down he knew if anyone would do the best job in taking care of his finance, it would most certainly be his mom.

Gwen opened the container and popped two of the chewables out and into her mouth. “I’m embarrassed and…I’m sorry, it’s been a long day, I didn’t really feel all that well after the plane,” she tried to explain. 

“No need for all of that,” the older woman dismissed, and took Gwen’s hands. “Come on, I’ll help you get settled in. Bedroom is right across the hall, actually.” Gwen nodded, and let her lead her over to it. 

Once inside, she launched into a mini tour with Gwen - showing her where the clean towels were, extra blankets and pillows, remote controls to the TV and lights. Gwen took a seat on the edge of the bed as she watched. 

When the older woman was done, she came to join her by taking a seat next to her. She chose her words carefully. “Blake said you were really nervous to meet us,” she began. “I know you don’t know us yet, but really, we’ve been so excited to welcome you to the family.” She smiled warmly. “Don’t get me wrong, it was a shock when he called us to tell us he was engaged, but he’s been so happy lately, and I have to think that it has a lot to do with you.”

There was something about the way Blake’s mom talked about welcoming her to the family that equally pulled at her, but also made her feel like she needed to put the walls back up. Part of her hesitation and inability to speak was just over the fact she was wholly unprepared for the emotions coursing through her veins - that intimacy of family that was so foreign, that she still had residual anxiety about, as past desperation for it had driven her to do a few crazy things. 

“I’ve never done this before, I don’t know how,” Gwen replied genuinely. “I only ever met my son’s father’s parents for a few minutes, and they already hated me before they met me.”

“You have a son?” the woman’s face lit up. “Oh, and hopefully we’ll get to meet your parents soon. Before the wedding would be just incredible.”

Gwen’s face on the other hand, was saddened. “I do have a son,” she confirmed. “He doesn’t live with me though.” For now, she dodged the question about her parents, thinking it best to leave it alone.

The older woman could tell that bit of information alone could have gutted Gwen on the spot, and she chose not to pry further on that.

“You’ve had a lot of firsts today,” the older woman offered a smile. “Blake said it was your first time on a plane, too.”

“I haven’t been outside of California before,” she said with a nod. 

“Don’t worry, we have plenty of drugs to give you before you go back that will help a lot.”

For the first time during their conversation, Gwen was able to offer a smile. “I’d really appreciate that, thank you.”

“Can I hug you?” the older woman asked, a bit of pause in her voice. “It’s a total southern thing, I can’t explain it, but I wanted to ask first.”

Gwen was thrown off by the question, but soon nodded. “Yeah, sure,” she said. His mom looked relieved and she moved forward, pulling Gwen into a tight, genuine hug. 

“I’m so happy you’re here,” she said genuinely. 

As soon as the words hit her, Gwen’s heart started melting just a bit more. She moved her arms up around her, hugging her back. 

“What should I call you?” Gwen asked, not really knowing what the protocol was, and only distantly remembering what Blake had told her earlier about her name. 

“Oh, you can call me whatever you’d like, dear,” she responded. “Most people here just call me mom, but you can call me Dot, if that’s more comfortable for you. I don’t want to take away the significance of your mom’s _mom_ title, after all.”

“I haven’t seen her since I was sixteen,” her words were quiet. “You can’t offend someone who doesn’t exist.”

“Oh,” Dot’s face fell. “What about your dad?”

Gwen gave a half, uncomfortable shrug. “I’ve never met him.”

“Sweetheart,” Dot exhaled, suddenly feeling bad about her earlier question regarding her parents. It was that type of pity that made Gwen uncomfortable, which showed on her face. “Do you have any family?”

“I had Marianne,” Gwen responded quickly. 

“So you’ve always had us, you just didn’t know it,” she said genuinely. Gwen looked up to her questioningly. “Hey, I’m the first one to admit…Marianne was controversial around these parts. But at the end of the day, we still had love in our hearts for her. She was still family. There’s different kinds of family, and even though she was less involved in ours, at the end of the day, that didn’t matter.” She paused. “So if you considered Marianne your family, you’ve always been there, too. And now we finally get to meet.”

Gwen felt herself getting emotional all of a sudden, not expecting that. Her eyes were teary as she exhaled, holding Dot’s gaze on her. She didn’t say anything, but simply moved forward, and this time, she was the one to initiate the hug between them. Her arms squeezed around Dot tightly, like she had never hugged anyone before. It felt eerily similar to the first time she had hugged Marianne when she was a little girl. 

A few gentle knocks at the bedroom door made both women turn their gazes.

“I’ve made the rounds, said hi to everyone, but you know me, I worry about ya,” Blake’s genuine voice came, eyes settling on Gwen. “Also thought you could use this,” Blake said, holding up a small water bottle. 

Gwen reached her arm out, beckoning for him to come join them.

“Jesus, ma, I leave you alone with my finance for five minutes and you already made her cry,” Blake said with a chuckle, realizing the difference between Gwen’s happy and sad tears, and calling these as the former. He sat on the bed on the other side of Gwen, and his arms went around her from behind. 

“It’s your fault, actually,” she nudged him. “You barely told her anything about me.”

“Oh,” Blake said. “I just…”

“Well it doesn’t matter at this point,” Dot interrupted. “Because I already told Gwen that she’s apart of our family. Your grandmother Marianne might have ruffled some feathers, but besides Gwen being your finance, she was Marianne’s family, which means that she’s always been part of ours.” She moved forward, hugging them both and trapping Gwen in the middle. She worked hard to compose herself, because all of the love that radiated from just the two of them hugging her at the same time might have killed her. Blake pressed his lips sweetly against her cheek as he continued to hold her in his arms. 

“Now you know, I did tell her that you’re a vegetarian,” Blake chimed in, nudging at her. “That’s pretty important stuff to know around here, she is always in the kitchen.” Gwen offered him a faint smile, her neck extending up to place a kiss on his lips again as a thank you. 

“You two are beautiful together,” Dot commented with a happy sigh and smile. 

“Blake’s the best thing that has ever happened to me,” Gwen sighed contently.

“Well, I’ll leave you two alone for a little while,” Dot said, standing up. “But when you’re up for it, I know everyone else would really like to meet you, Gwen.”

“Thank you, Dot,” she said genuinely. “For everything.”

——————— 

“I feel dumb,” she confessed quietly to Blake, sliding her shirt up and over her head. “I mean we got here a few hours ago, what are they thinking about me right now? I can’t go out there.”

Before she could move forward to her suitcase, Blake was in front of her. He put both of his hands steadily on her shoulders, silently asking for her full attention, which she gave. 

“What’s going on, really?” He asked, his eyes narrowing in on her. “What happened to that girl that pounced and choked anyone who got in her way or had a bad thing to say about her?”

Gwen sighed, closing her eyes briefly, before they fixated on him again. “That girl is angry and is not someone I want to be,” she said definitively. 

“I don’t mean that I literally want you to attack my family if something goes wrong,” he said with a chuckle. “But I mean, where’s that confidence? You’re not usually this anxious about things.”

She crossed her arms and sighed. “All I know is…” her head was shaking. “All I know is that I am so in love with you, it scares me. It scares me a lot. And I want you so bad…I think I want you _too_ much, because when I want something too much, I always lose it. And maybe all of this just feels like one of the quickest ways to lose you.” Gwen forced an exhale. “And the last time I got anywhere close to this, I lost my mind.” She hated bringing up the situation with Gavin, but she felt it was one of the only ways to really explain herself. 

He kissed her suddenly, deeply, letting his lips do the talking. His arms were around her waist as she was tugged closer, his fingers tracing the bare skin he found at the small of her back. The tension she was holding in her shoulders seemed to lessen. 

“Maybe you need to just keep doing that,” she breathed. “Like every five seconds.”

Blake chuckled, tightening his arms around her in a hug. “Trust me that some version of that is always on my mind, darling.” He grinned. “I think the whole thing might go over just a bit better though if you wore more than just your bra.”

His comment caused her to giggle as she nudged into him. “I was in the process of trying to do that,” she replied, tugging out of his arms and reaching for a fresh shirt, which she slid on. She walked to the mirror nearby and swiped underneath her eyes, fixing her face after their brief nap had smudged her under eye makeup. “Who all is here, that you know of?”

“My mom and Mike, her husband, of course,” Blake began. “Endy, my sister, and her husband…also Mike,” Blake paused. “I’m glad you’re not named Mike, by the way,” he commented, which made Gwen giggle and shake her head a bit. “I heard a few cousins might stop by, I don’t ever really know though. People are always dropping by around here.”

Gwen smiled genuinely. “That sounds nice,” she replied. Though it was foreign to her, she wasn’t completely new to the idea. “Sounds like a Hallmark movie family.”

“Mmm…depends on the day,” Blake laughed, his arm going around her. “Ready?”

“As ready as I’m going to ever be,” she said with a nod and an exhale. Blake tugged her along, and they exited the room to make their way to the kitchen.

As they drew closer, the various sounds of a frying pan, music, and conversation dominated their senses. Dot was the first one to spot the two of them hovering near the kitchen as they walked up.

“Oh good, I was getting worried about you two!” She exclaimed loudly, rushing over to them. She took Gwen’s hand and pulled her away from Blake and into the kitchen. “Everyone, this is Gwen!”

Her half embarrassed, half awkward smile looked out across a lot more people than Blake had prepared her for. It almost felt like a small party instead of a family dinner. A few greetings were exchanged before Dot ushered her over to her husband nearby. Gwen’s eyes fell upon the older gentleman, apron on and flipping an omelette. 

“Do you like omelettes, dear? Mike here makes the best ones in the entire world,” she boasted with a genuine smile. 

“Oh, I uh…yeah, sure, you guys eat breakfast for dinner?” She asked. 

Blake unexpectedly came up behind her, pecking a kiss on her cheek. “Shelton family tradition,” he said, handing her a plate.

“Gwen, dear, what do you want on yours? All of the ingredients we have are over here…” Dot said, pulling her along to the other side of Mike to show her an impressive layout of options.

“Umm…onions, mushrooms, bell peppers…and cheese, lots of cheese.”

“Thank god she isn’t one of them vegans and she still eats cheese,” Mike commented, which made Gwen laugh. Dot hit his arm playfully. 

“And if she was a vegan, we’d still feed her,” she insisted. 

Mike got to working on Gwen’s omelette and Dot pulled her over to the kitchen island, where an array of other foods were laid out. “Let’s see, for you there’s hash browns, biscuits and honey, some fresh strawberries that we just picked this morning, and if that’s not enough, we have a waffle maker we can whip out for ya, too.”

“Oh, this is more than enough, thank you, I’m never going to be able to eat all of this anyways!” Gwen exclaimed. 

“Gwen, I need your plate,” Mike called over to her. All of the chaos was putting her mind into a tailspin, but she had to secretly admit that she was reveling in it. She took a few steps over to Mike, and he slid a perfect omelette onto the plate she was holding. 

“Thank you, you really didn’t need to do this - it looks incredible,” she said with a smile. Mike sat the fork he was holding to the side, giving Gwen a quick side hug. 

“Don’t even mention it, we’re very happy to have you here,” he said with a nod. “Don’t let all of these crazy folks scare you off, ya hear? Welcome to the family.”

Though Gwen wasn’t quite sure what he was alluding to, she nodded and smiled with a mumbled thank you in response.

“Blake, you’re up, get your butt over here and tell me what you want,” Mike called over to him. Gwen went to the kitchen island, and set her plate down as she surveyed the other food options to add to her plate. 

“Gwen, I’m the other Mike,” a younger fellow came up to her with a smile. “Blake’s brother in law,” he explained, immediately going in to hug her. The hugging thing was still new to her, but she had to admit it was strangely comforting. “This is my wife Endy, Blake’s sister.”

Gwen looked over and smiled at the other blonde, fully expecting her to also go in for a hug and being ready for that, but instead Endy kept herself eerily calm in a way that didn’t seem to fit the rest of the room. 

“Hello,” she greeted politely, offering a polite smile, but nothing more. 

“It’s nice to meet you both,” Gwen chimed in. “Especially you, Endy, Blake showed me some of your jewelry designs. They’re beautiful.”

“Thank you,” she replied simply. 

Gwen felt stuck in an awkward place, as younger Mike offered her an apologetic smile. She tried to mentally transport herself into a different mindset, one where she knew how to win over the hearts of reluctant donors in her world.

“Is that one of your designs, too?” Gwen asked, gesturing to Endy’s necklace. 

The older blonde placed her fingers on it gently. “Yes, it is. I made it for one of my best friends, _Miranda_ , actually. Made one for her, and made a second for myself.”

Gwen felt her body tense as she wasn’t quite sure how to dig herself out of the awkward conversation now. It seemed that any move she tried to make, she kept digging herself into a deeper hole.

Blake’s hand on her shoulder distracted her and brought her attention up to him. “Ready to grab a seat?” He asked, looking down at her. His eyes went to Endy then to Mike, slightly suspicious, but not trying to make a big deal about it. 

“Yeah,” she said quietly with a nod, turning to walk with him over to the large table.

“Oh,” Dot exclaimed. “Gwen needs to come and sit with me.” She was motioning Gwen over to her which caused her to laugh a little, and they both changed direction to go to the other side of the table.

“See, my mom is already obsessed with you,” Blake said just so that Gwen could hear. A little bit louder as they got near his mom, he continued, “…she doesn’t even care that I’m here anymore now that you’re here.”

“Blake Tollison!” Dot exclaimed, exasperated. They were laughing now as Dot took Gwen’s plate and set it down at the table to make sure that Gwen would actually be next to her. Blake took the seat on her other side, distinctly handling his own plate. 

After everyone settled down, everyone at the table held hands, which threw Gwen for a loop at first. She looked to Blake and he reached for her hand, as Dot had already gotten ahold of her other hand before she realized what was happening. She followed Blake’s lead and bowed her head, no surprise that Dot was the one that jumped up to say the prayer. 

Once completed, Gwen tentatively reached for her fork, making sure she wasn’t the first one, despite being incredibly hungry. The gathering was so large that soon everyone seemed to develop their own side conversations. Dot poured Gwen a glass of wine, which she thought was funny at first considering they were eating breakfast food, but somehow it ended up being the best idea ever. 

“So you’re a ballet dancer,” Endy’s polite, but stinging voice was soon in her ear again. Gwen looked over to the other woman and nodded in response. “What’s a ballet dancer make these days anyway?”

“ _Endy_ ,” Blake snapped, his gaze going over to his sister. 

“It’s alright, people are always curious about the arts,” Gwen intervened. “It really depends - there are a lot of levels. A strong principal is going to make more than someone in the corps. A dancer with name recognition, or one that the donors appreciate - those things also have an effect.”

“Well, which level are you?” Endy inquired next. 

“Umm…” Gwen wasn’t quite sure how to answer that, given her current situation. She decided to go with the most honest route possible. “I’m actually facing retirement at the moment,” she said. “Dancing professionally puts a lot of stress on your body, we all go into it knowing there’s an expiration date.”

“Oh, dear,” Dot expressed her condolences, stroking the hair on the back of her head. “I hope you aren’t too badly injured.”

“I’m fine,” Gwen said shyly and nodded, before swallowing another sip of wine. 

Endy hummed in response, ignoring the harsh look that Blake was giving her. “So what does a ballet dancer do with her life when she can’t dance anymore?”

The sting of the words _can’t dance anymore_ was apparent to Blake, knowing that she was still sensitive about the situation and processing through both major life changes all at once. His hand went to rest on Gwen’s leg under the table, squeezing it to let her know he was there. He wasn't quite sure where this was going yet.

“A lot of us teach,” Gwen responded. “Some choreograph, others work for companies.” Her eyes went to Dot, as she tried to take a stab at lightening the mood. “I even know one girl who was one of the top dancers in New York that thinks she got creative by “creating” her own job, but really she just jumps around to different men who are willing to pick up the dinner tab every night.”

Dot chuckled. “Points for creativity, I guess, and a girl's gotta eat.” Gwen smiled, relieved that her jest was accepted so easily.

But Endy wasn’t done. “I guess you’ll be fine though, now that you own half of our family’s company - and you found Blake to pay for _your_ dinner tabs.”

“That’s enough,” Dot hissed at her daughter. “Who taught you it would ever be ok to be this rude to a guest? Especially one that's joining this family!”

“And for someone who didn’t give a damn about Marianne, you sure are mighty concerned about her company,” Blake interjected harshly. “And for some other reason, my bank account.”

“All I’m saying is that I hope there’s a prenup for the rest,” Endy shrugged. "I'm sure _Gwen_ can understand how this all looks."

Gwen set her fork down as she felt all eyes on her. She looked over apologetically to Dot. “Excuse me,” she said softly, as she stood to leave. 

“No, honey, please — “ Dot’s words were met with a shake of Gwen’s head, and before Blake could reach to grab her hand, she was swiftly departing, retreating back to their room. 

As soon as Gwen was gone, Blake threw his napkin down. “What the hell was that for? Why are you being so awful?” His eyes were burning into his sister.

“I don’t trust her,” Endy replied honestly. “You run off to California and propose to a girl that you end up giving half of your inheritance to that doesn’t even have anything to her name? That’s fishy.” She paused to take another sip of her wine. “Someone had to say it.”

“I think that’s enough for tonight,” Endy’s husband reached over, taking the well used wine glass out of his wife’s hands. 

Blake did not have the willpower to deal with her any longer. “I don’t know who you are right now,” he snapped at Endy, standing up abruptly. 

“Exactly my point. Who the hell are you right now, Blake?”

He held in the rest of what he wanted to say, deciding that losing his temper was not going to help the situation. He elected to simply exit, following Gwen’s earlier path back to their room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the extra love and comments lately - they make me so happy <3


	32. Solidify

She was standing at the bay window in their room when he slowly opened the door after going after her.

Gwen’s arms were crossed protectively over herself, her body leaned into the wall as she willed herself to take a few controlled breaths, keeping her gaze steady. Blake was searching for the words, and even as he drew up behind her, seemed to still be at a loss. 

“What are those?” she asked, not moving her gaze. Blake’s eyes followed her general direction she was looking to outside. The greenery was quiet, and the oddly familiar tiny, flashing lights were the only things that interrupted that scenery. 

“The lightning bugs? he asked. “You haven’t seen any before?”

“No,” she answered. “But they’re pretty.”

“Endy was drunk and out of line,” Blake said, cutting to the chase. “Mike took her home.”

“She’s not completely wrong,” Gwen countered softly. 

His hand went to her shoulder and turned her towards him. “She _is_ completely wrong,” Blake countered back. “Please don’t listen to her, and trust me.”

“I just knew that it wouldn’t go over well,” she replied simply. “You love your sister, Blake, I don’t want to be the one that comes between you two. So that’s really hard for me to swallow right now because I just don’t know what to do.”

“She will come around,” he dismissed. “I don’t know what’s up with her. She was friends with my ex. This doesn’t excuse her behavior, but I think she’s mad at me, and she’s taking it out on you.”

“Why is she mad at you?”

He sighed dismissively. “She’s complicated. It wouldn’t surprise me if she was mad I didn’t ask her permission or something equally as dumb.” He paused. “If it makes you feel any better, she hated Miranda at first, too.”

“Why wouldn’t you tell me that earlier?” She sighed. “I mean it’s not your fault, and maybe on some level I was expecting a little pushback - your mom, perhaps - but after all of the amazing things you told me about Endy, I just didn’t think she’d hate me immediately.”

“You didn’t need more stress on you coming here. I wasn’t going to do that to you. And she seemed…well, fine, mostly for the first part of the night.”

“Hmm,” Gwen said with a scoff and a nod of her head. “I knew something was off the minute I introduced myself and she found any excuse to insert your ex into the conversation.”

Blake’s face fell a bit. “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear any of that.” His hand rested gently on one of her shoulders. “I wish you would have come told me.”

Gwen shrugged. “You can’t always be with me,” she said. “And it’s not your job to make sure everyone is nice to me.”

“When it comes to my family — I’d argue it is,” he disagreed, than sighed. He moved forward and placed a delicate kiss on her lips.

“That right there,” he continued. “Is the single best feeling I’ve ever had in my entire life. You’re mine, Gwen, and I’m not backing off here just because of a few drunk comments, no matter who they’re from. You’re the woman I’m gonna build a life with.”

“I love you,” she whispered, her head leaning against his chest.

“I love you more,” he responded, swaying into her a bit.

He heard a faint chuckle. “That’s a dangerous game you’re starting.”

He kissed the top of her head, deciding to change the subject. “So before we get into an endless fight about who loves one another more, I have to say my mom makes the best desserts in the world and spent all day whipping up an assortment in anticipation of you being here…” he looked down to her. “I heard her talking about taking them out to the back screened in porch to hang out for a while. I think it’s just her and Mike left now, or it will be soon.” He paused. “Will you come out with us?”

“Yeah,” she said with a nod. “That sounds really nice actually. I just need a few minutes, ok?”

“Not a problem,” he squeezed her once before letting her go. “Come on out when you’re ready.”

——

The sliding door out to the screened porch made a peculiar sound and immediately announced her arrival as soon as she started to move it. She stepped outside tentatively, her eyes focusing on Blake as soon as she shut it back.

“There’s the love of my life,” he grinned, which of course made her smile as well. He was kicked back on the large sectional and his body moved forward when she approached, soon pulling her against him to cuddle up. Gwen noticed Dot and Mike sitting adjacent to them once she was leaned up against Blake. She reached up and placed a sweet kiss on his cheek.

“God, that never gets old,” Dot commented. “You two are just so sweet.”

“Dot, I um…” Gwen began, letting out a sigh. “I just want you to know, I already told Blake I’d sign any prenup agreement that he wants…”

“…honey, you don’t have to —“

“— no please, let me finish,” Gwen interrupted again. “Even though I don’t exactly have any, I also understand the importance of family heirlooms. And if you all would feel more comfortable with Blake having 100% ownership of the company, I don’t have any issues changing it back.”

“Umm, but Blake has an issue with that,” Blake chimed in, speaking in third person. 

“I don’t want to cause any issues here, and I’d do anything to keep your son in my life,” Gwen continued, half ignoring Blake’s protest. 

“Blake told us about everything - the company, Marianne’s letters, and how good of a team you guys are together,” Dot said. “All of that stuff is for you two to figure out amongst yourselves, all I want is for the both of you to be happy.” She paused. “Listen, Gwen, you can’t let all of that crap my daughter said have an effect on you. To be honest, Miranda hasn’t even picked up the phone to call her since Blake’s divorce. She’s a little bitter about that.” She sighed. “And remember, I already told you that you’re family - so technically, it’s still 100% in the family.”

“I just don’t want anyone to be upset,” Gwen tried again. “I know this engagement is…it’s quick, and it’s quick for me too, but I’ve never felt so sure about something in my entire life.” She looked to Blake, her eyes meeting his. “I love him so much.”

“And sweetheart, I promise you, that’s all I need to know,” Dot said swiftly. “I can tell that you do.”

Gwen exhaled, her eyes meeting Dot’s as she digressed from the conversation. 

“I told you she was persistent,” Blake mumbled to Dot, looking over at his mom with a small grin. 

“You need someone who will challenge you,” Dot shrugged, stating it matter of factly. “None of these timid, quiet Oklahoma girls would have ever been a true match for you. And none of them are nearly as pretty as Gwen.”

“She’s the most beautiful and stubborn woman in the entire world,” Blake commented. Gwen just looked over at him and laughed, shaking her head.

“Please, god, I’m right here,” he picked up on the mild embarrassment all over her face that he had come to expect when compliments were involved.

“I could keep going,” Blake said before taking another drink of his beer. “You’re a beautiful dancer, you have the biggest heart I’ve ever seen, you’re determined, you’ll do absolutely anything for people you love…”

“ _Blake_ ,” she whined, her cheeks getting pink. 

“Humble too, I see,” Dot chimed in.

“Okay wow, can we please change the subject?” she was uncomfortable yes, but still laughing as her face partially hid against Blake’s shirt. 

“Perhaps this is the time when I get to tell you embarrassing stories about Blake?” Dot asked sweetly.

“Yes!” Gwen exclaimed with excitement, at the exact same time as Blake groaned out a “No!”

“Well we can start with the pageant photos first, and then we can talk about all the things he used to say about you when he came back home from Marianne’s…”

“Wait what? Pageants? And you talked about me to your mom?” The sudden influx of interesting information suddenly had her interest piqued. 

“God, he talked about you all the time back then,” Dot outed him swiftly.

“ _Mom_ ,” he groaned.

“What?” she asked innocently. “You’re literally marrying the girl, and I think it’s so sweet the crush you had on her.” Her attention turned back to Gwen. “He tried to hide it but he let it slip, he just couldn’t not talk about you. One time he even stayed a few extra weeks in California because there was some performance or audition you had that he wanted to watch of yours. I couldn’t get him to care about anything other than music and football growing up, but somehow the chance to watch you dance ballet.”

“Jesus,” Blake grumbled, his hand coming over his eyes as he was the one embarrassed now.

Gwen was trying to think back, trying to recall and place the partial story Dot had just shared. Gwen reached up to him, pulling his hand off of his eyes, catching his gaze. 

“Was that…” she lost the words, as the way he looked at her immediately confirmed exactly what audition they were talking about. “…and that’s why you stayed longer?”

“I couldn’t leave, not after that,” he replied quietly. “I just didn’t know what to do, I just thought you were in trouble or something, and I know you were avoidin’ me…”

“Is someone gonna tell the rest of us the story?” Dot asked impatiently, genuinely wanting to know what they were talking about. Mike chuckled at his wife, shaking his head but keeping quiet at her persistence. 

“Uhmm,” Gwen cleared her throat, swiping under her eye. She reached forward and poured herself a glass of wine, taking a sip before settling back in Blake’s arms. “The company has open auditions for students every year for those that want to move up a level,” she explained. “Dancers usually prepare a full audition piece. I worked on mine all summer, there was a particular part of the sequence in the middle I just couldn’t get right so I lived in that studio…. _literally_ ,” she sighed, taking another sip. “It was around the time my mother disappeared for good. I didn’t have anywhere else to go, I mean, I wouldn’t go to Marianne’s when Blake was in town. Blake walked in one morning and found me sleeping in one of the storage closets.”

“Marianne had sent me to go find something, I don’t even remember what it was at this point,” Blake took over the story. “I knew something was wrong, even as you abruptly ran off…and even though you wouldn’t talk to me, and I was way too scared to say much of anything, I don’t know. I thought maybe you might end up needing a friend.” He sighed. “So yeah, I stayed a few more weeks - just in case. And when I didn’t see you anymore, I told Marianne about it before I got on the plane.”

“And that explains why she immediately went back to the studio, pulled me out of class, and forced me to tell her everything,” she sighed knowingly. 

“Someone had to take care of ya,” he responded. “Whether or not you wanted to be taken care of. Whether or not you’d even speak to me.” His eyes were still locked with hers as he sipped his beer.

“It was never a question of what I wanted,” she sighed. “It was a question of guilt. It was a question of worth, and how to protect myself.”

Blake set the empty beer can down on the table, and took Gwen’s wine glass from her to place it next to it. He kissed her deeply, using both arms to pull her closer as they enveloped her completely and he held her tighter. Her arms went around him fully.

Dot leaned her head against Mike and sighed. “You two are made for each other,” she sniffed, getting emotional. “I’m speechless, and you can ask Blake, that never happens.”

“Blake changed me,” Gwen said softly. “Because he’s the one that takes care of me, and he helps me see my worth. I’ve not had that before.”

“Don’t completely romanticize that part,” Blake said lowly with a hint of a chuckle. “Boy did it take a lot of work for you to even let me help you with _anything_ …”

Gwen laughed softly, her eyes going to Dot as she inhaled, keeping herself composed despite the few tears pricking in her eyes. “I think this is a perfect time to go get those pageant photos so we can all have a laugh.”

“Excellent suggestion!” Dot exclaimed, as Blake started to groan again. The exchange made Gwen laugh again, and watching Dot scurry into the house with such enthusiasm was the perfect added touch. She turned up to look at him, her words at a whisper.

“I love you, Blake Shelton.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a small chapter, but wanted to get something up and to push myself to the next. Hope you're still enjoying <3


	33. Wet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think we could all use a little stress relief right now. 
> 
> Apparently, in my world, that means writing 5700 words, a good chunk of it ending up on the smutty side.
> 
> Enjoy <3

“Mike, Blake, come out and help unload the car, please!”

Dot’s voice rang loudly through the front door, drowning out any conversation, TV show, or other possible noise that could be louder in that moment. Though Gwen was standing all the way back at the trunk of Dot’s SUV, she could hear the woman as if she had just yelled into her ear next to her. 

Like clockwork, Blake was the first one through the door, and Mike wasn’t too far behind. Gwen chuckled a bit to herself, thinking that Dot had a lot of practice in whipping those men into shape whenever she called. The speed in which Blake was coming over to her distracted her from that line of thinking, as he seemed almost rushed to get to her.

“Hey! How was your day?” He asked, nearly out of breath as he pecked a kiss on her cheek. 

Gwen shook her head. “Blake Shelton, that was _not_ enough of a kiss to make up for not seeing you the entire afternoon,” she teased, as her finger did a _come hither_ motion to bring him back. He obliged with a small smile, kissing her on the lips this time.

She kissed him back easily. “I had a great time with your mom. We went shopping at a few little places in town and I helped her at the grocery store,” she looked to the open trunk filled with bags. “Obviously,” she laughed, then paused. “What’s up? What’s the rush to get out here all about?”

“Oh, am I that obvious?” Blake asked with a hint of nervousness. “I just…uh…I wanted to get out here first to let you know that Endy’s in the house, I didn’t want it to be a surprise.”

“Oh,” she said simply. “She’s your sister, I figured I would see her again.”

“Well I asked her to come over, so the three of us can talk…”

“ _Oh_ ,” she replied again. 

“I mean, I had a talk with her this morning and we figured some things out, so it won’t be a bad talk…”

“It’s fine,” Gwen said with a nod, turning to take a few of the bags into her hand. “It’s good, actually. I don’t want to be at odds with anyone in your family.” Blake also reached forward and grabbed a handful of grocery bags, and they began to walk them into the house together. 

Once they walked into the kitchen, Gwen spotted Endy sitting at the island as she gently set the bags down, Blake doing the same next to her.

“Ya’ll go ahead, Dot and I will get the rest,” Mike encouraged, coming up behind them with a handful of bags as he sensed the tension in the room between the three of them. Gwen nodded, looking to Blake for guidance. 

“It’s a nice day, we can sit out on the back porch,” Blake suggested.

“Sounds good,” Endy spoke, standing up. Awkwardly, the three of them walked outside, shutting the door closed behind them. Gwen took a seat on the longer couch, Blake coming to sit next to her. Endy went opposite to sit on the chair. 

“You weren’t —“

“So I guess —“

Both Gwen and Endy had jumped in at the exact moment to try and start the conversation, which only added to the awkwardness of it all. 

“Go ahead,” Gwen deferred softly. 

Endy sighed. “Look, I shouldn’t have treated you like I did last night, and I know that I need to apologize. So, I’m sorry, and I hope that we can talk a bit and move past things.”

Gwen was a bit stunned at the ease of the apology, usually conversations didn’t go this easily. “I really appreciate that, more than you know,” Gwen responded genuinely. “And I’m sorry if all of this seems crazy fast. I know deep down how much you love Blake, and I can see how you want to protect him.”

“I thought I was,” Endy chimed in. “But I was doing it in the wrong way.” She paused, looking to Blake once before she looked back to Gwen. “My brother is notorious for downplaying everything,” she began. “His last marriage really fucked him up when it ended. When he jumps into something, he is fully in, and it was alarming when it came out of the blue - and before we had even met you. That’s not your fault, because this knucklehead is the one that proposed…”

“Jesus,” Blake rolled his eyes. “I literally couldn’t wait, Ends.”

Endy laughed. “I know. I’m just going to give you a hard time about it forever.” Her attention went back to Gwen. 

“It’s understandable,” Gwen nodded. “And I told this to your mom - I really love Blake and yeah, it’s fast, but it also feels right.” She paused. “And I told everyone that I will sign whatever pre-nup —“

“— don’t start that again, that’s not anyone’s business,” Blake cut her off. Gwen looked over to him, and then to Endy, her mouth slightly open as she tried to find the words.

“He’s right, it’s not my business,” Endy affirmed. “Blake says you make him really happy, and I won’t stand in the way of that.”

“Thank you,” Gwen said quietly, her hand reaching over to Blake’s leg, resting there. “I uhm…I don’t really know what the plans are for a wedding…” her eyes went up to Blake. “…we haven’t talked about anything. But I’d really love it if you’d consider being a part of it.”

Blake was shocked at Gwen’s gesture, looking up to her and then over to Endy, who was equally as shocked.

“Are…are you sure?” Endy asked.

“Of course,” Gwen responded. “You’re family, and you’re important to Blake. I’d really like it if you were involved.”

Endy smiled softly, looking over to her brother. “Blake?”

“Don’t look at me, she gets to do whatever she wants,” he said, throwing his hands up with a laugh. 

“Well okay then, I’d be honored,” Endy confirmed. “Thank you, Gwen.” She paused. “Oh…” Endy reached into her pocket suddenly. “I know you said you liked my jewelry designs. I wanted to bring you these…” She produced a small pink mesh pouch, handing it over to Gwen.

“Oh,” Gwen said, obviously touched. “You didn’t have to…”

“…eh, it was the least I could do, I think,” Endy laughed. 

Gwen opened the pouch and pulled out a pair of small gold starburst earrings. They brought a smile to her face as she looked up to Endy. “I love them, they’re beautiful….thank you.”

“I like those,” Blake nudged her a bit, looking down to the earrings in her hand. 

“Well, I need to get back home,” Endy said, standing up. “Husband and kids would be lost without me if I didn’t tell them what’s for dinner.”

Immediately, Gwen and Blake also stood. Endy moved forward, pulling Gwen into a hug.

“Should’ve said this last night, but - welcome to the family.”

——

“How much further is it?”

Gwen bit her lip, as she cautiously stepped forward, her hand clutching tightly onto Blake’s arm. The blindfold he had affixed across her eyes wasn’t giving anything away, but if she tried really hard, she could see bits and pieces of the twigs and dirt she was walking over below her. 

“Not too far, I promise,” he said lowly into her ear, kissing the top of her head. “You’re doing great.”

“You said that a very _far_ time ago,” she laughed. “You country folk have an odd definition of _not too far_ …”

“Ohhh, you’ll be fine,” Blake dismissed. Gwen continued to step forward, letting Blake direct her when needed. “It’s all part of the excitement, isn’t it?”

“If this is what you call excitement?” she responded. 

“By the way, you don’t have to talk so loud. I blindfolded you, I didn’t cover my own ears…”

“Don’t be a jerk,” she laughed, using her free hand to playfully shove into him. He jumped back and she missed, falling slightly into the air as she stumbled, which caused her to squeal. Blake started to laugh, grabbing her other hand at the last second to steady her. 

“That’s what happens when you call people names,” he joked. “You better be nice, I’ll start walking you around in circles…”

“ _Blake!_ ” she whined, stopping abruptly, which caused him to laugh again. 

“I’d never actually do that, come on,” he said, going behind her to encourage her forward again. She resisted at first, but soon obliged. 

“Is that water?” Gwen asked, as she unknowingly stepped onto a dock to continue her blind walk. “Oh my god, I thought we had this discussion, I can’t swim! Remember the plane waterslide? Don’t throw me in!”

Blake stopped her, and he went around to stand in front of her. Slowly, he pulled the blindfold down.

“I would _never_ do something like that to scare you,” his words were serious, his eyes fixated on hers. 

“I know,” she said shyly, glancing down for a moment before back up to him. She offered a small smile. “But it did get you to take the blindfold off?”

Blake couldn’t help but look at her stunned, then he chuckled and shook his head. “You’re sneaky…”

“Can I look?” she asked sweetly, knowing that they must have been at least close to where they were supposed to end up. 

“Yes,” he gave in, stepping aside as his arm went around her. Gwen’s eyes immediately went to the end of the dock, not too far off from where they were standing. There was a blanket laid out, a few pillows, and a basket. The sun was nearly set, and her eyes gazed nearby, where a swarm of lightning bugs were lazily flying around the tall greenery.

“Wow,” she said simply, her eyes going up to him.

“This is the best spot on the property - I know how much you liked the lightning bugs, and there are hundreds of them out here. Plus it’s nice and quiet, and private…”

Gwen offered him a bigger smile, stepping forward onto the dock, kneeling onto the blanket as she looked into the water. She slid her sandals off, looking back to Blake.

“Can I…?” she asked, gesturing to the water.

“It won’t hurt ya,” Blake said with a chuckle, making his way up behind her. She swung her legs over the dock, and cautiously dipped her toes into the water, biting her lip as she didn’t know what to expect. 

“The water is strangely warm,” she commented.

“That’s the south,” Blake said, taking a seat next to her. “It’s so humid, our water doesn’t even stand a chance sometimes.” Gwen swirled her feet around in the water, her hands clutching tight on the edge of the dock. He nudged her gently with a laugh. “Do you want to get in?”

Her eyes widened as they went to look up at him, and she laughed nervously. “What? Are you serious?”

“Yeah, super serious,” he laughed. “I won’t let anything happen to ya.”

“Blake Shelton, did you bring me out here to get my clothes off?” She teased him. 

“That wasn’t my first intention, but it’s definitely a plus,” he said, standing up. In a few moments, his clothes were off, and just as he let his boxers fall on top of the discarded pile, he dove in head first into the lake, causing a good amount of back splash onto Gwen.

She squealed just as he surfaced, swimming up over to her. His hands gently caressed her calves, that cheeky grin plastered on his face. 

“Come on baby, you know you want to,” he said. He moved forward, placing little kisses on her legs as he tried to coerce her in. 

“I don’t know,” she said uneasily. 

“I won’t let go of ya,” he said. “I promise. I love you too much to scare ya.” 

Gwen sighed, feeling once again pulled in by his irresistible charms. “I am scared,” she admitted. She retracted her legs, hesitating before standing up. She looked around, surveying the scene to see if anyone else might have been watching. 

“Nobody else is around for miles,” he seemed to read her mind, and it redirected her attention down to him. Her hand reached behind her back, slowly undoing the zipper on her sun dress. She shimmied it down her body, and laid it neatly on top of the basket nearby. She looked back over to him, now standing on the dock in just her strapless bra and underwear.

“Fuck, I’m hard now,” Blake said cheekily, leaning back just a bit in the water as his eyes were roaming her body.

“Stop embarrassing me, oh my god,” Gwen said, exasperated, but then laughed as he just watched her. The feeling of knowing he was looking at her and thinking she was the damn most perfect thing in the world was not lost on her, but it was still not something she was used to. 

“I’m just saying…your body… _damn_ …” he chuckled. “You don’t even know how hot you are.”

“Do you want me to finish undressing or not?” she threatened. 

“You could just jump in and I’ll finish undressing for you, real quick…” Gwen shot him another look, which caused him to digress. “Okay, okay, I’ll behave for the next two minutes. Now get naked and get in here with me so I can stop behaving after that.”

Gwen laughed again, her hands reaching behind her back as she unclasped her bra, laying it over her dress. She quickly slid her underwear down, and sat back on the edge of the dock. Blake came over to her, ready to help her in.

“Don’t let me go under,” she panicked as his hands came to her waist.

“I’ve got you, baby,” Blake said, not wanting to push her too fast. “You ready?”

She nodded her head in the affirmative, but still chirped out a “No?” as her hands reached for his shoulders. Gentle and controlled, Blake lifted her off of the dock and pulled her into the water with him, making sure to keep her steady. She gasped slightly as she felt her body go in, and clung to him immediately. 

“You’re alright,” he reassured her. She slowly started to relax a bit against him, and she let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding in. 

“Wow,” she breathed, then looked up at him and smiled. The warmth completely enveloped and even soothed her, both from the water temperature and Blake’s body heat. Both of his arms came around her as she leaned forward and kissed him gently. He deepened the kiss, as his hands ran over her naked body. The intimacy that was added to the situation by being together in the water was something she never knew she needed. 

“You good?” He asked, always the one to check on her.

“Yeah,” she giggled a bit.

“Do you want to try and tread water? I can teach ya.”

Gwen groaned nervously at the suggestion. “I don’t know,” her words her soft. “I kind of just feel like kissing you some more.” And with that, her arms tightened around his neck again as her legs went around his waist, her lips onto his. He smiled through the kiss, intensifying it, holding her tighter as he held both of them afloat. He shifted her to one arm, his hand resting behind her neck as he kissed her again. 

He let his hand trail down just a bit, lightly caressing over her shoulder and neck. He brushed over a particular sensitive spot, causing a small shiver to go down her spine as she pressed in closer to him. She kissed him again, only pulling back slightly to catch her breath.

“I think everything went well today, with Endy, I mean,” Blake said softly.

Gwen couldn’t help but giggle. “I’m naked and wrapped around you and you’re thinking about your sister right now?” she teased him. 

“Ugh,” Blake rolled his eyes. “ _No_ ,” he emphasized. “But I was a little worried about ya. I want you to feel comfortable, I want you to feel like my family is yours.”

“I do,” she replied honestly. “Your mom has been incredible, just her alone - I mean she made up for any discomfort in the beginning. It’s behind us though.”

“I’m naked and feeling you up right now and you’re thinking about my _mom_ right now?” Blake mocked teasingly, causing Gwen to laugh and shake her head. She pressed her lips into his again, grip tightening around him. 

“Ha, ha, you’re hilarious,” she said sarcastically. Silence fell between them for a few moments. “It’s so quiet out here.”

“Yeah, hard to come by in California,” Blake agreed. 

“Tell me something,” Gwen said before kissing him again. “Why exactly did we both get in the water when all I really want to do is ride you on that dock?”

Blake laughed. “You’re trouble, woman.”

“Is it completely unreasonable that I want to have sex with my fiancé when he’s so…naked?” She asked. “And, not to mention, hard?”

Blake groaned as he felt her hand sliding in between them, taking him into her grip, and squeezing just right.

“Mmm…” Blake said, his eyes moving away briefly from hers. When they went back to make eye contact, they were even darker than before. “Come here. I want to try something.”

As she was already clung against his body, he didn’t have to wait for her to comply. He moved them to the side of the dock, away from the end where they had both jumped in. The water was a bit more shallow as they moved, and Blake continued until he could feel his feet touch the bottom. He moved Gwen around, taking her by the waist and lifting her gently to sit on the dock.

A small shiver went down her spine and she bit her lip, soon realizing he wasn’t making a move to get out of the water with her. Her head turned slightly in curiosity, as his eyes got distracted somewhere on her naked body.

When he snapped back to reality, his eyes went up to hers - they were soft, curious, and just rested on him as she waited for him to continue the lead. His hands moved up her legs, taking a hold of her calves gently. He tugged her forward a bit, and spread her legs wider for him to come in between. 

He started slowly - a few kisses on her knee, his hands tightening to keep her still if she flinched. She let out a shaky breath as her body arched back slightly, and his lips were slowly kissing their way towards her center.

“Blake,” his name fell haphazardly from her lips.

“You’re so fucking beautiful, it hurts,” he murmured. His hands spread her thighs wider, as his lips barely brushed against her center. He already felt her thighs begin to quiver, and the lip bite she was focused on he knew was a way to try and hold everything together. “Even more beautiful when you’re aroused, baby,” he breathed. “God, I can’t wait to make you come like this…”

She felt herself jolt as his mouth finally went to her center, him taking her clit immediately with his tongue to tease it delicately. His hands slid up her legs, his arms hooking under the bend of her knees to spread her apart and hold her wider, which ultimately gave him more control over her movements as he didn’t miss a beat with his tongue.

“Fuck…” she gasped, her head snapping back softly as he continued to play with her. “Baby, I’m not going to last long like this,” she giggled, gasping slightly as he intensified his movements, building up a quicker pace. 

He smiled to himself, not daring to pull away or interrupt the build up. If she had been more aware, she probably would have been more skeptical. She probably would have doubted he was going to let her get off as easy as this seemed, but all signs pointed to the opposite as he continued to build. Her mind let go as she got dangerously close to the edge, knowing it was imminent. 

“I’m going to come any second,” she gasped and moaned, her hand resting lightly on the top of his head. “Fuck, please, keep going, more…” 

Moments later, the louder, and more sudden gasp - accompanied by the intense shaking of her thighs - indicated she was over the edge. His pace slowed ever so slightly, focusing on more depth, helping her ride out and shudder through the orgasm. His eyes went up to her, enjoying the blissed out view as he placed a few kisses on her inner thighs.

“I can’t believe you let me orgasm that fast,” she was still catching her breath as she giggled. “I mean, thank, thank you, but wow…”

Blake laughed at her slight incoherence, moving to the side of her as he used his arms to push himself up onto the dock, sitting next to her. His arm went around her, pulling her into him. She was like putty in his hands, easily laying against his chest, then lowering her head into his lap as her body curled under itself. 

He stroked the stray blonde hairs away from her face before letting his hand trail softly down her body in strokes. 

A small smile came to her face.

“My turn to try something new,” she said sweetly.

“Oh?” He asked, curious, as his gaze went down to her. She carefully pulled herself into a sitting position again next to him, her lips pressing into his.

“We probably need that blanket,” she said, biting her lip, and gesturing not too far to the end of the dock. Out of the blue, she turned herself onto her hands and knees, crawling the few strides over to it. She looked behind her at him, her ass curved in a particularly intentional manner. 

“Are you coming, Blakey?” She giggled. She didn’t have to ask twice either, as he almost stumbled springing into action to follow her over. She was laughing again, and turned to him in an upright position while remaining on her knees. He did the same, his hands teasing and tickling her midsection as they came around her again. Her arms were up around his neck and she was kissing him deeply.

Blake nibbled at her ear. “What do you want to try?” He beckoned her. 

“I want you to go in from behind,” she whispered sweetly. “And fuck the hell out of me.”

It was incredible how sweet and innocent she could be in one moment, and in an instant, she could say one thing that made him so hard, it nearly hurt.

“I will _gladly_ …” he lost the words, kissing her roughly, his hand holding the back of her head. His hands slid down and grabbed her hips, turning her around immediately. He pressed his erection against her ass - his left arm holding her tight against him at the waist, the other sliding up her curves, lightly teasing one of her erect nipples. She let out a half whine and moan as her head pressed back against him.

His hand drew down south, torturously tickling the bare skin under her breast, down her stomach, then lower. She almost yelped as his other hand came to life, holding her up against him and now playing with her other nipple, just as his other hand slipped in between her legs.

He nibbled at her ear again as his finger swiped against her slick center, pushing inside. She gasped and whined as her thighs stared to quiver again, still a bit sensitive over the orgasm he had already worked her through. 

“You’re so fucking wet and ready for me,” he whispered, nipping at her neck. “I love it when you feel this desperate.”

“I am desperate,” she breathed. “Please, fuck me _hard_ …”

He pressed into her again, his hand now roughly sliding down one of her curves. “Bend over,” he commanded suddenly, retracting his hand and slapping her ass, which caused her to gasp. 

“I think I missed what you said, baby,” she cooed playfully, but it was obvious she was asking for it. 

“ _Bend_ ,” he emphasized, his opposite hand retracting, spanking her again. “ _Over_.” Another spank, and another gasp escaped her mouth. Obediently, she bit her lip and bent at the waist, going down onto her hands and knees. 

His hands rested on her ass, sliding up and down the back of her thighs. 

He placed a kiss on her right cheek. “Lower,” he said. “On your forearms.”

Gwen looked back at him, obviously not listening on purpose. Another spank, another moan and gasp, and she turned her attention back forward as she obeyed. He reached under her legs, opening her wider for him, his fingers deliciously close and playing with her clit for a few moments. She moaned, her hands fisting as she fought to take the sexual torture he insisted on doling out.

She felt him enter her, he was taking it slowly, allowing her the time to adjust and take on his full length. His hands grabbed her hips tightly, as he slowly moved in and out a few times. 

“Baby, fuck me hard,” she whined. “I’m ready for you.”

It only took a brief second before he took those words to heart.

He began thrusting, picking up a rhythm, losing his control slowly as his decency and care turned to roughness. Her breathing was started to become erratic, but not nearly a match for his as he took the words _fuck me hard_ truly to heart. He thrust harder, faster, moaned and grunted louder.

“Fuck, Blake, you can go harder than that,” she insisted, and he immediately responded with an extra intense thrust, sending her into a tailspin of moaning and breath catching. She fisted her hands harder as his hands roughly thrust her into him, not hesitating, and not prolonging it. 

“God damnit,” Blake exclaimed, picking up the pace even more, groaning, exhausting himself. His rhythm staggered and slowed after a large, intense thrust, his indication that he was now over the edge. He was greedy, his hands grabbing tightly onto Gwen’s body and using her to ride it through in the most exquisite way possible. 

When she felt him relax and release her, she took a moment and a breath before moving up to a sitting position, trying to take it easy as she even felt a bit dizzy. She looked over at Blake, sat back on the blanket on his elbows, his chest rising and falling as he attempted to recover.

Gwen sweetly crawled over to him, moving her body up under one of his arms and cuddling up. He laid completely on his back, focused on his breathing, his arm lazily draping around her to hold her close to him. She curled up, her leg going over his, the warmth of his body temperature against her core something that could have led to her unraveling all over again. 

She placed a sweet kiss on his neck, to which he moaned softly and his arm tightened just a bit around her. Sneakily, she moved his hand up just a bit, letting his fingers rest against her breast. His eyes were closed, but a big smile came to his face as he couldn’t help but chuckle, thumbing and teasing over her nipple.

“You’re the naughtiest little nymph,” his voice was low. “Especially when you pretend to not hear me just so you get off on a few more spanks…”

“Oh but Blakey,” her words were sugar coated and sweet, and breathed directly into his ear. “I’m a good girl too, though…right?”

His chuckle was low. “Somehow you manage to be both at the same time. That takes talent.”

She grinned, satisfied with his answer, and nibbled at his ear before nuzzling against him again. 

“We just fucked on your parents’ dock,” she giggled, feeling her cheeks blush even though she didn’t have anything to be embarrassed about. It was just the two of them, it seemed, for miles. 

“Best trip down to the lake I’ve ever had,” he commented with a grin. “I didn’t even mean to fuck you….I mean, I did, holy hell, I did, but I mean my intention was to be all nice and gentlemanly and feed you dinner while watching the lightning bugs…”

“We lost the _gentlemanly_ part of this relationship a long time ago,” she laughed. “Especially when we’re alone and have the chance to get naked.”

“I’ll always treat you right,” he promised solemnly. “….but yes, as long as you enjoy it, I will also fuck the hell out of you and spank you when you need it.”

“I think that’s the hottest thing anyone has ever said to me,” she giggled again. She moved up and pressed her lips onto his. His eyes opened as her hand ran through his damp curls. 

“I’m hoping you might have some amazing post-sex food in that basket,” she teased. “And hopefully a towel or two?”

“Mmm…yeah,” he said, sitting up slightly on the back of his forearms.

“No, no,” she insisted, kissing him. “I’ll get them. You relax a bit more. You’re a little worn out.”

Gwen sat up and crawled over to the basket, opening the lid. Two towels were laying across the top, and she pulled them out, taking them back over to him. She pressed up onto her knees, wrapping and tying one around her body. 

“You know, something tells me this was your plan all along….you did pack towels after all, cowboy.”

He chuckled. “A guy can dream about getting his girl naked, can’t he?” He grinned. “Lucky for me, it worked.” Blake sat up and took the second towel into his hands, using it to dry his hair a bit before tying it around his waist. He moved back over to Gwen, who was at the picnic basket. 

“You’re too good to be true,” Gwen said with a shake of her head. “I can’t think of anything better than macaroni and cheese after sex.” She paused. “It might be a tough call between that and lasagna after sex, but whatever.”

“That’s the best Mac and cheese in the entire world,” he affirmed. “Mom’s secret recipe. I don’t even know what’s in it. But it’s baked with breadcrumbs and there’s nothing like it.”

Blake moved slightly and leaned his back against the side of the dock, a small smile on his face as he watched Gwen rummage through the remaining contents. Nothing beat the Mac and cheese, though, and she took the entire dish and one spoon and sat on Blake’s lap with it. She took a bite, her eyes fixated on his. 

“Sex and food with you is the happiest thing in the entire world,” she said, pecking a kiss on his lips. She offered him a bite, which he gladly took.

“Good,” he responded. “Because sex and food with you is literally how I want to spend the rest of my life.”

She smiled sweetly, settling against him in silence as she took another bite, alternating between that and offering him bites. Her eyes fell on the lightning bugs, realizing how dark it had gotten in the meantime as they both continued to chip away at the macaroni.

After an unspecific amount of time had passed, their quiet and peaceful evening was abruptly interrupted as they heard their names being called from the distance.

“Blake?? Gwen?? It’s getting late, are you guys alright?”

Gwen squealed and sprung up to her feet, Blake not too far behind her. They both laughed and panicked as they mad dashed to get their clothes back on. Gwen slid her underwear up, had her dress over her head, but heard footsteps approaching and in a panic, stuffed her bra into the picnic basket as she whipped around to see Dot walking towards them with a lantern. She glanced to Blake, who thankfully had managed his boxers and jeans back on. 

“It’s nearly midnight!” Dot exclaimed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt, I was just so worried about you two.”

“Oh wow,” Gwen’s eyes widened. “Dot, I’m so sorry, we must have lost track of the time…”

“Apologies are not needed, dear, I’m just glad you’re alright!”

“We were about to head back in anyways,” Blake said, glancing at Gwen. 

“Yep, it’s definitely bedtime,” Gwen smiled, and turned to pick up the basket. 

“Here honey, let me get that for you,” Dot said, moving forward to take the basket out of Gwen’s hands.

“Oh, no!” She snatched it away abruptly, and smiled awkwardly. “I’m totally fine, I’ve got it, I ate most of the Mac and cheese anyways so it’s really light.” Even her lie was awkward, which just caused her to laugh. Blake was looking at her strangely.

“Well at least let my son carry it,” Dot said. “I did raise him to be a gentleman, after all.”

“Yes, you did,” Gwen nodded, handing the basket off slowly to Blake as Dot began to turn around and lead the way back. Blake shot her a questioning look, and once Dot was out of earshot, she couldn’t help but giggle.

“ _My bra is in the basket_ ,” she mumbled lowly through gritted teeth, pressing her lips together and trying not to laugh again. 

“Do you need help with anything else?” Dot called back to them.

“Nope! We’re all good!” Gwen said, snatching the blanket up off the ground and holding onto it with full arms. 

They both began walking, Blake giving her the side eye the entire time. He looked forward to his mom walking ahead of them, and in a risky move, his arm went around her waist, his hand traveling to feel up her chest. Gwen caught a squeal in her throat, and playfully swatted him away. 

“What all did you get into this evening?” Dot asked sweetly, trying to make conversation.

“Oh, you know, just ate a lot of macaroni,” Gwen said, with a giggle.

She looked at Blake, knowing they had done _far_ more than that.


	34. Something Simple

“This one…and two of these, and just one more of those…”

Gwen’s eyes widened as she looked down to her outstretched hand, Dot carefully placing various medications in her palm to help with the trip back on the plane. 

“Are you sure this isn’t overkill?” Gwen laughed. “Like, these aren’t going to knock me out for a week, right?”

“Oh honey, not all of them are sedatives,” Dot responded. “A few are just supplements, helps with nerves and motion sickness, those kinds of things. I’m giving you the full cocktail I take to get on a plane, so it’s tried and true.”

“Okay, you’re the expert,” Gwen acknowledged. 

“I would take them right as you all get in the car to head to the airport, it’s a good amount of time to let everything get into your system and settle before you get on the plane.” Dot disappeared briefly to the master bathroom, coming back a few moments later with a small, empty paper cup, offering it to her. Gwen slid the pills inside of it, and set it off to the side.

“Thank you,” Gwen offered genuinely, with a smile. “Lucky for me, Blake’s in charge of saving us if we crash because I can’t swim, so I don’t have to be awake much for it.”

“You can’t swim?” Dot inquired, confused. “But weren’t you two swimming in the lake the other night?”

Gwen felt her cheeks get hot suddenly as her attention snapped up to Dot. “What?” She tried to compose herself, but she only felt like she had guilt plastered all over her face. “Did you see us?”

“Blake’s hair was wet and he wasn’t wearing a shirt,” Dot shrugged, not thinking it was a big deal. “I just assumed, dear.”

“Oh,” she said, releasing the breath she didn’t realize she was holding. “Yeah, I mean, he took me in the water with him, but I didn’t let go of him.” Her mind was drawing a blank as she only wished she could come up with any other subject in that moment to switch over to.

Thankfully, Dot unknowingly came to the rescue. 

“I have one more thing for you,” she said softly, squeezing Gwen’s hand before she stood from the bed. 

“I hope it’s not more drugs, even though I sincerely appreciate the ones you already gave me,” Gwen laughed, then watched Dot walk over to her mirrored dresser and open her jewelry box. She pulled a small black velvet pouch from one of the small drawers, and walked back to sit next to Gwen. 

“You didn’t have to buy me anything,” Gwen assumed, her words soft, and shook her head. 

“It’s not quite like that,” Dot responded. She reached forward for Gwen’s hand, and placed the small pouch in her palm. “Go ahead,” she encouraged her. 

Gwen’s eyes went to Dot before they rested on the jewelry pouch. Tentatively, she pulled back the string, soon revealing a gold amethyst necklace, with matching amethyst stud earrings.

“Wow,” Gwen said, trying to find the words, but she just stared at the set - it was simply stunning.

“When I was 21, Blake’s father and I packed up the car and drove to California,” Dot began. The words hit Gwen hard, her eager eyes now going up to Dot’s. She felt like she knew where this could be going, and she didn’t want to miss a word. “Marianne had recently opened her new studio, and Blake’s father wanted his mom to finally meet his fiancee - me.” Dot smiled at the memory. “It was exciting back then, getting to take a trip to California, especially when you’re from a place like this - just so different. But, I was terrified. I thought, well, what is this cool, California lady going to think about me when she meets me? I was just a simple young girl from a small town, and even though Marianne had a lot of family in Oklahoma, it wasn’t her life anymore. I spent the entire car ride nervous. But as soon as she opened the door, she welcomed me in with open arms.” She paused. “That unconditional love and acceptance that she was so good at giving saved me that day. I hadn’t experienced anything like that before.”

Gwen’s eyes were already teary as her lips pressed together, fighting everything in her control to keep herself contained - Dot wasn’t even halfway through the story, and she was already on the verge of losing it. Her lip quivered and gave her away, and she inhaled sharply as Dot moved forward, her arm coming around her to hold Gwen.

Her free hand swiped under her eyes. “You haven’t even finished and I’m already crying, I’m sorry,” she inhaled sharply again. “It’s just…I miss her so much, and even though you’re not related to her by blood, you’re so much like her.”

“I told you already, I’m your mom now…if you need or want one,” Dot said calmly, stroking a hand through her blonde hair. She paused, as Gwen seemed to calm just a bit, her eyes going back to the jewelry set. “Anyways, long story short, Blake’s father went out with a few friends he hadn’t seen in a while on our last night out there. Marianne and I sat down, and over a glass of wine, she made certain to tell me the family secrets. The recipes, the heirlooms she wanted passed down, everything. She told me embarrassing stories about her son, cooked an amazing meal, and gave me this jewelry set at the end of the night as an engagement gift.”

“I can’t accept this,” Gwen said immediately. “It’s too precious.”

Gwen sat up, her tear stained eyes looking at Dot tentatively. Dot’s hand went to Gwen’s cheek and she sighed.

“It belongs to you, sweetheart,” she said. “I know for a fact that Marianne would want me to pass this to you.” She paused. “You know, I was faced with this once before and I never told Blake about it. There was something strange in my gut that kept telling me, screaming at me, to not give this to Miranda. And it’s the first thing I thought of when Blake called to tell me about you. Because the two of you were meant to end up together, and I was always holding onto this for you.”

“I’m so overwhelmed, I…” her voice broke, her eyes closing and pushing the tears down her face. “Why did you like me so much so fast? I really haven’t done anything to deserve this.”

The question was peculiar, and even a bit confusing, as Dot looked at the fractured younger woman in front of her. “What did you expect me to do? Be mean to you for no reason?” 

Gwen just offered an uncertain small shrug in response. “I don’t know what I thought would happen,” she admitted. “I’ve only seen this in movies. And it usually never goes well.”

Dot sighed, her voice raising a moment later. “Blake?” she called out. “Blake? Can you come in here please?”

A few moments later, Blake was standing at the door, his face turning immediately when his eyes fell on Gwen.

“I’m literally never leaving you alone with her again,” he was looking directly at Dot. “Why do you always make her cry?”

“Oh, shut up,” Dot dismissed. “Get in here, hug your girl, she needs it.”

Gwen swiped under her eyes and leaned into him as he took a seat next to her, his arms going around her. 

“Now tell her what you told me,” Dot said. “Tell her what you told me on the phone when you called to tell me you were engaged.”

“ _Hi mom, don’t kill me, but I’m getting married again…_?” Blake teased, causing Gwen to laugh a bit. 

“No,” Dot rolled her eyes. “The part when you told me about Gwen.”

Blake hummed. “I told you that she’s the most beautiful woman, with the most amazing heart, that I’ve ever laid eyes on,” he began quietly. “I said she’s difficult to love because she doesn’t think she’s worthy of it, but I wanted to spend the rest of my life tryin’…”

“And…” Dot prompted him to continue. 

“I mentioned she was stubborn,” Blake chuckled. “I told you about how much she does for her kids at the studio. How much she’s been hurt, and how she deserves so much more. How happy she makes me, how much she hates compliments, even though deep down, I just don’t think she had experience in learning how to take them.”

Dot’s gaze went back to Gwen. “Knowing all of that, sweetheart, how could I _not_ already love you?”

“Both of you are going to kill me, I swear,” Gwen said, swiping her eyes again. She chuckled softly. “I’m going to drown in these tears one day.”

“Nah,” Blake dismissed, nudging her. “Give it like six more months, tops. You’ll be sick of us.”

“Well hopefully the two of you will come back again before six months passes, Christ,” Dot sighed, annoyed, and obviously the sentiment was pointed towards Blake. 

“I said I was _sorry_ ,” he emphasized. 

“Will you both please come back for the holidays, at least?” Dot’s voice was hopeful. “Oh, it would just mean the world to have Gwen here with us so that we can give her a real family Thanksgiving…oh, and Christmas, of course.”

“Sure mom, and I’ll even come too,” Blake said dryly, with a chuckle. 

Gwen reached out and squeezed Dot’s hand. “I’d love to come back for the holidays,” she affirmed. “We’ll make it work with the studio.”

“Wait, when are you getting married?” Dot pressed again. 

“I don’t think we have a clue,” Gwen laughed. “We haven’t really talked about it.” Her gaze went up to Blake. “I don’t want to wait forever.”

“Me neither,” Blake agreed, kissing the top of her head. 

“Something simple, small ceremony?”

“Anything you want, baby.”

“Just close friends and family,” she added. 

“Sounds perfect.”

“Wow, that was literally the easiest thing in the entire world,” Gwen laughed. “So we’ve agreed on “not forever”, “close friends and family only”, and “simple”…” A small smile came to her lips. “By the end of the year? I mean, I guess technically we could do it tomorrow, but I want to enjoy being engaged for a bit.”

“A little more of an engagement period is good,” he agreed. 

“The leaves change in mid-October in Southern California,” she mentioned quietly. “The idea of a Fall wedding seems nice.”

“Mid-October, Fall wedding it is, then,” Blake nodded. He looked up to Dot, looking at her seriously. “Hey mom, we’ve just decided to get married in October. We’ll fly you out, and send you the details.”

“You big dumb idiot,” Dot shoved his arm playfully. “I’m right here!”

The three of them laughed together, the mood in the room lifting instantly.

“Wow, I’m getting married in October,” Gwen sighed, the realization hitting her suddenly. 

His arms tightened around her. “Don’t even try to run now, I’ll hunt you down, woman…”

Gwen giggled, and angled her neck to look up at him. 

“Not a chance.”

——

Without realizing it, Gwen had curled herself up in the front seat and dozed off during the car ride back to the airport. 

One minute she remembered light conversation as they pulled out onto the long, deserted country highway, and the next, Blake was gently nudging her awake. Her eyes opened just slightly, realizing she was in the front seat. Blake had parked the truck and came around to her side, her door open, as he spoke softly to her in an effort to coax her back awake. 

“I’m sorry, I wish I could let you sleep, baby,” he said, his hand running through her hair.

The fatigue hit her instantly. “Where are we?”

“Dropping off the rental,” he said. “We’re at the airport.”

“Oh.”

She sighed, her eyes blinking open a bit more. She pushed herself forward, trying to come out of the seat, but was being held back. Her face wrinkled in confusion.

“Seatbelt, honey,” Blake explained, reaching across her lap to release the buckle. He suddenly felt a bit more concerned with her not realizing that. “Why don’t you take it easy, ok?” He paused. “Are you feeling alright?”

Gwen groaned softly and nodded, attempting for a second time to sit up fully. She was successful, now that she was not prohibited by the seatbelt. “Just tired,” she said faintly. “Your mom gave me stuff for the plane.”

“Stuff?” Blake asked. 

“Medicines,” she said.

Blake couldn’t help but chuckle. “Oh dear.”

“What?”

“Did you take _everything_ she gave you?”

“Yeah, why?”

Another chuckle. “It’s gonna be a long few days for you, that’s all.” He stroked her hair back, planting a kiss on her forehead.

“Huh?”

“That woman takes enough drugs to knock out a horse for a week.”

Gwen let out a tired giggle. “I do feel a little high,” she admitted. “But mostly sleepy.”

“Can you walk?” Blake asked.

“Yeah,” she dismissed. “Can you just help me out of the truck?”

She felt his hands at her waist a moment later as he lifted then lowered her onto the ground. Her body leaned back against the truck, and he was reluctant to let her go.

“You good?” He asked. Gwen just nodded, and reached for her backpack. “I’ll get that, don’t worry about it.”

Blake reached for it, and swung one of the sides over his shoulder, and on top of his own. 

The wait for the airport shuttle was an indistinct amount of time, as was the journey and check in. Before she realized it they were standing in line at security. His arm was around her as hers was around his midsection, her head against his chest as she forced her eyes to stay open. After what felt like forever, but also could have been no time at all, Blake took a seat on the ground in the corner of the airport near their gate, and Gwen immediately laid her head in his lap, her body curling up to him. She felt his hand through her hair as she was finally allowed to rest again.

The loudspeaker, however, would not allow her to completely pass out, as it seemed there was an announcement every five minutes. She was perfectly content as long as she did not have to move.

Blake picked up a phone call at one point, but Gwen could only pick up on bits and pieces. It was something about Smithworks. Blake kept his voice low most of the phone call, but seemed to get a little frustrated, leading to his voice raising to normal, and Gwen catching more of the conversation.

“Yes, I’m at an airport right now, but no, I’m not just going to change my flight to Nashville,” Blake explained. A pause, presumably with the person on the other line continuing the conversation. “I am with my fiancee right now.” Another pause. “No, she can’t just come with me, she needs to get back to running our _other_ business first thing in the morning.” Another pause. “I’m not letting her fly back alone. She can barely stand straight right now.” Another pause. Blake sighed. “Fine, fine, I will call you tonight when I’m back in LA, and we’ll figure this out.”

Gwen’s hands pressed into his thighs as she slowly lifted herself into a sitting position. She looked at Blake, who chuckled sadly a bit as he reached forward and tamed her blonde hairs that had gone awry. 

“What’s going on?” She asked, her eyes meeting his.

His hand went to her cheek. “Just something with Smithworks,” he said dismissively. “It’s ok, we can talk about it tonight when we get back.”

“Tell me now,” she whispered softly. 

Blake sighed. “I have to go back to Nashville,” he began. “36…48 hours _tops_ , I just need to take care of a few things and sign some papers in person.”

“What kind of papers?” she asked.

“I hired a general manager to oversee operations in Tennessee,” he explained. “I set up a stock plan for him as a part of his contract. I also need to add him to a few things so that he can do his job, and so they don’t need my signature on everything all the time.” He paused. “I’ve known this guy for a while, he’s good people and will take care of the company.”

“Wow,” she breathed, not finding the words. Even if she had been more awake, she doubted if she would have been successful in saying anything else at first. Eventually, she spoke again. “You’re really staying.”

There was something about her words that kicked him in the stomach, in the way that it hurt that she might have still doubted it. “Of course I am,” he responded quickly, his hands now on her cheeks as he pulled her gaze to him. “Gwen, you’re my life now. You’re the most important part. And you need to be in California, so that means I do, too.”

She offered him a small, faint, tired smile as she moved forward, her arms going around his midsection in a hug as her head leaned against him again. His arms fell to the side, going around her to hold her after he tugged her up to sit in his lap.

“I love you,” she whispered.

His hands gently caressed up and down her back. “You have no idea how much I love you, too.”

“I can fly solo for a few days,” she said. “Why don’t you fly out tomorrow night and get everything taken care of? We both need to be at that meeting in the morning, but I can manage after that.” She paused. “I wish I could just tell you to go get on a plane to Nashville right now…because we are literally at an airport….”

“There’s no way I’m leaving you alone like this,” he said firmly. “And even if you were a bit more awake, I wouldn’t make you fly back out by yourself.”

“And that’s another reason why I love you so much,” she said contently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I say this a lot but THANK YOU for all the love and support! It's extra amazing during hard times like these and you all have made my day ten times over <3


	35. Let Them Eat Cake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...you guys didn't think the drama was all over with, did you?

“Surprise!”

Gwen nearly jumped out of her skin as she walked into the large conference room, Blake only a half step behind her. Where she expected to find a room of instructors and staff gathered to talk about and plan for the upcoming season, she found them all standing in applause, the room decorated to the nines, and the conference table covered in platters of food, anchored by a large, double decker cake.

“Oh my god,” Gwen started laughing, her cheeks getting red as the attention was all on her. Blake came up beside her, offering her a smile, a look of shock also on his face. 

“Did you do this??” she asked.

“No, I swear!” he exclaimed. “I had no idea!”

James and Amanda both moved forward, throwing their arms around Gwen in turn. 

“ _You_ did this,” Gwen said with a laugh, as James squeezed her tightly. 

“Of course we’re going to celebrate your engagement,” he dismissed with a laugh and rolled his eyes. “Especially because it’s two of our people.”

Gwen exhaled, offering him a smile. It was so weird to her how this place, and these people she had known for years had only recently felt like more of a family to her. She knew she was to blame for that, probably, but it was also not surprising that she seemed more open as soon as Blake had showed up. 

“Blake’s not going to be able to stay for long,” she said, glancing over to him. “He has to catch a flight to Nashville, it was a last minute thing.”

“Oh, that sucks,” James said, a bit disappointed. “Well, we’ll go ahead and cut the cake now. We can have the cake up front, and the rest of the party on the back.”

Gwen laughed and shook her head. “You’re crazy,” she said, then looked to everyone else in the room, already knee deep in side conversations. “You all are crazy, really, you didn’t have to do any of this.”

Blake came behind her, his arms going around her waist. 

“She’s right, you all didn’t have to do any of this - but it’s really appreciated, thank you for wanting to celebrate with us,” Blake added. “To tell you the truth, I was a little worried at first - you know, I don’t exactly have the ballet knowledge n’all.”

“You’ll always be family, Blake,” Amanda offered. “You’re still the new kid, but we’ve got your back. Don’t doubt that for a second - and we _all_ appreciated you ejecting Brett and Gavin from this place.”

“Well, that was necessary,” he said seriously. Gwen felt his muscles twitch and even tense up just over the mention of those two, which led her to turn to look up to him, placing a kiss on his lips. A few people started clapping and hollering their approval, and soon they both started laughing as they broke away. 

“Come on, let’s cut the cake!” Darla exclaimed, joining the small gathering around them. She presented the large knife forward to Blake, which he took, tugging Gwen along with him to walk over to the table where it was sitting. The two of them finally got a look at the cake, which only made them laugh immediately.

“Oh my god!” Gwen squealed, nudging Blake playfully. On one side of the cake was a picture of Gwen - decked out in her finest ballet ensemble, she couldn’t have been more than ten or eleven - and on the other, a picture of Blake, similar age, a small mullet dominating the scene. 

“Where in the hell did you find that?” Blake said, shooting a look to Darla. 

“I’ve known Marianne for over 30 years. You don’t think I know how to find things?”

“Oh my god, you were so cute back then,” she said, then looked up to him. She feigned a confused look. “So what happened?”

Gwen couldn’t hold her laughter in and she lost it as he tugged her in close with his arm. “Nuclear chemical accident, I think,” he replied with a grin. She pressed up on her toes and kissed him again, inciting the same response as earlier with the claps and hollers, so she pulled back and laughed sooner than she would have liked. 

Blake moved forward and positioned the knife, nudging Gwen to cut with him. Her small hand rested on top of his as they made the first cut together, and Blake dished up the first few pieces. 

“I want your face,” Gwen said sweetly, her body nudging into him. 

He knew what she meant, but he couldn’t help but hover his lips at her ear. “Where do you want my face, baby? And what do you want it to do?”

“Gwen, there are _children_ in the room,” James chastised her, accidentally overhearing Blake’s words. 

“Don’t worry, if we need to get it on, we’ll go to his office,” she quipped. “We’ve already broken in the couch a few times.”

Blake cut another slice and grinned. “Just a few…” he handed a slice off to one of the other staff members, cutting slices up and around until he got to Gwen’s requested piece of cake. 

“Should I be worried that you want to eat me?” Blake asked jokingly, handing her the cake on a small plate with a fork. 

She forked a bite, placing it in her mouth, and slowly dragged it out, her eyes on him. “Not at all,” she said, going for the second bite. “This isn’t the part of you I want in my mouth.” She offered a small, devilish smile as she offered him a bite with her fork. 

Blake grunted, taking the bite, suddenly twitching as he needed to remind himself to keep his composure. 

“ _Behave_ ” he warned, taking a plate for himself. He stepped away from the cake, handing the knife off to James to finish, and took a seat nearby. Gwen followed closely, taking a seat on his lap with a grin.

“Not a chance,” she said lowly, with a smile. Blake offered her a bite of cake with his fork, which she took willingly, as it was a chance just to slowly tease him a bit more. 

“I’m going to miss you,” he said suddenly, his eyes going up to her. “We’ve been on top of each other for months, I didn’t realize this is probably the first time we’ll be apart.”

“Yeah,” she responded wistfully, her eyes going down to her half-eaten Blake cake. “But it’s a good thing, it sounds like things will be easier if you get this done now, and when you come back, we have our whole lives to start.”

“I promise I’m gonna come runnin’ back,” he said. “I promised you, 2 days at the most. I won’t make it any longer if I can’t see you.”

“Take the time you need,” she said softly. “But yeah, please, don’t take a second more.” She offered a smile, and a small yawn. 

“Still tired from those drugs?” Blake asked with a chuckle.

“A bit, yeah,” she said. “You know, despite being zonked, they did really help.”

“I’d hope so,” Blake responded. “You were completely passed out before we even took off. You missed the entire flight.”

“I didn’t miss you,” she said quietly. “I know you had me. You held me the entire way. I felt that.”

Blake smiled, his eyes only shifting up as James approached them, taking a seat next to Blake. 

“So if this is our engagement party, when are we actually meeting to plan the season?” Blake inquired. 

“Oh, pft,” James dismissed. “It will be fine to wait until next week, we’ve already got a lot decided, thanks to Gwen. It’s less of a project this year.”

“Oh?” Blake glanced over at her, and nudged her a bit. “You’ve been getting extra work in during all of this?”

“Coping mechanism,” she admitted, her eyes looking to him. “If I can’t dance and I can’t teach all of my classes, I have to do something…”

“ _Yes_ ,” he emphasized. “But for now, that _something_ was supposed to be a bit of a break.”

Gwen sighed, and shrugged. “It’s fine,” she insisted. “It’s a good distraction. I thought it would be too hard, but it’s worked so far.”

Blake’s gaze went to James. “Will you please make sure my fiancee doesn’t go off the deep end while I’m gone, please?”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got Darla in my arsenal,” James quipped. 

The faint noise of a slow clap emerging was heard coming from the door, and soon began to get louder. It was a singular, taunting clap, and it caused Gwen and Blake to turn their heads towards it as it continued to get louder, and even a bit faster. Most of the chatter of the conversations in the room died quickly, and her entire body tensed when she saw it. 

“My, my, my,” the slick, British accent broke through the room loudly. “The cowboy finally bedded the ballerina, I see.” He grinned wickedly. “Did she struggle?”

Blake went up to his feet so fast, he nearly forgot Gwen was still sitting on his lap. His blood was boiling over the comment, but he managed to keep his composure for now. Gwen caught herself and jumped to stand just in time, Blake stepping forward instantly as if acting like a protective shield. 

“Gavin, get the fuck out of here,” Blake growled. “Not only are you banned from the premises, but you are breaking the terms of an active lawsuit.” He paused. “If you leave now, we can forget this happened.”

“Blah, blah blah, lawyers lawsuits, blah blah blaaaah,” Gavin mocked him, rolling his eyes. He started to walk around the room, his hand caressing over the various vases and knick knacks that lined the side tables. 

“Mirabelle,” Gwen whispered to Amanda. “Please go sit with her.” Amanda took a few strides across the room, making sure to not leave the ballerina Gavin had so cruelly dropped to injury, alone. She felt James put his hands on her shoulders, trying to pull her back, but she resisted. 

Without warning, Gavin grabbed a medium sized vase from the table, and with all his power, threw it across the room, causing it to shatter into a hundred pieces against the wall with a screeching crash. The startling crash caused her to jump, her arms going around one of Blake’s. 

“Hasn’t anyone told you money gets you out of fucking everything?” Gavin slurred, grabbing another fragile piece and turning to Blake. “Gwen can tell you all about that one.” He pretended to throw it, cackling when Blake’s reflex to dodge the item kicked in. He shoved Gwen back suddenly, forcing her to James. Gavin tossed the item hard, crashing into pieces right behind Blake’s head.

“That’s enough, you’re leaving now,” Blake lunged forward, as he began to circle the conference table. A few people ran out of the room, which signaled for the majority to take it as the cue to leave. Gavin took his arms and forced them across the next table, knocking all contents to the ground in ruins. 

“Someone needs to call the cops,” Blake hissed to nobody in particular, coming upon Gavin and grabbing at his arm. It was then he smelled the alcohol on him. Gavin jerked to the side and threw a punch, Blake catching it in his hand as he shoved the other man up against the wall, and hard. 

“Did you really come here for round two?” Blake spat, as Gavin fought the hold on him. 

“I just came to wish the happy couple a _beautiful_ wedding,” Gavin mocked him. “Don’t worry, you’ll dump that trash in due time. You’ll get sick of her, too.”

In a timed motion, Blake released Gavin’s hand, delivering a blow across his face that should do well to knock him out for a while - at least until the cops could get there to handle him. 

As soon as Gavin was on the ground, Blake’s head whipped back around in search of Gwen. James had her, and she was staring at him stunned, tears pricked in her eyes, her mouth slightly agape, not knowing what the hell just happened. 

“Are you ok?” he asked, shaking his hand as he winced from the impact. Gwen ignored the question, jerking herself away from James as she moved forward to the bucket of ice nearby. She grabbed the discarded plastic bag, sniffling as she made a small icepack out of it, going over to Blake immediately. Her hand reached up to his shoulder as she inhaled unsteadily, pushing him to sit down in the chair. She sat on his opposite leg, taking his hand onto hers and holding the ice there. It felt like the only thing she could do in those moments.

“Hey,” he tried again, his arm around her and soon stroking up and down her back.

“You’re bleeding,” she pressed her lips together, her eyes not moving away from his hand. 

His other one came around, taking the ice away from her and setting it on the table. His hands went to her cheeks, forcing her to look at him. “I don’t care. I need you to tell me if _you_ are okay right now.”

Her lip quivered and she nodded, holding it in - that much was obvious. 

“Please, let me put the ice back on,” she inhaled. “Please.”

She reached for it, and he let her do so. And she stayed like that right up until the authorities came to take their statements, her eyes only veering to witness them dragging a knocked out Gavin off the premises.

——

She was curled up on the couch in his office, her legs to her chest. Her gaze rested on Blake shaking the hand of the cop who they had just spent the last hour with, closing the door behind him. He sighed, and walked over to Gwen, pulling her into his arms and lap. 

“I _really_ don’t want to fucking leave you now,” Blake said.

Gwen blinked a few tears down her cheek, her gaze going up to him. “Blake, you have to go,” she sighed. 

“But you’re scared,” he said quietly. “I don’t want you to have to be alone.”

“He’s in custody,” she said. “I’ll be fine. I’ll deal. Just, come back really fast, ok?”

“Are you sure?” He emphasized, not wanting her to be right.

Gwen nodded, keeping his gaze. “You need to leave soon to get to the airport. Don’t miss your flight because of him.”

“Do you promise to call me if you need me?” He asked. “Whether you need me to talk to you, or come back, I don’t care. I just need to hear you say it.”

“I promise,” she said. “I won’t hide from you. I’ll talk to you.”

He leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers.

She stood up slowly, pulling him up with her. 

“My bags are outside the conference room,” he said. She nodded, reaching for his hand, as they walked out together and down the hallway. 

While she intended to only go with him to get his things, the door was propped wide open, and she couldn’t help but walk forward to look inside. Blake hung back as she took it all in. It was a mess. Framed pictures on the walls completely shattered, vases and trinkets laying in pieces next to them, food trays turned over. 

His hand rested on her shoulder. “We’ll get someone to clean this up,” he said. “Don’t you even think about it.”

She nodded, letting out a breath she had been holding in for too long. 

“I hate him so much,” she said quietly. “I don’t even understand what this was intended to do. He came in, threw a few insults and broke things? It doesn’t make sense.”

“He had alcohol on his breath,” Blake responded. “It probably won’t make sense to him either once we sobers up.”

“Everything he touches dies,” she whispered.

He turned her by the shoulder to face him.

“ _You_ did not die,” he said adamantly. “You survived him.”

Her eyes shut tight, forcing a few tears down her cheeks. “ _King_ …”

“Don’t worry about him,” he said, taking her back into his arms.

“Don’t you worry.”


	36. Shattered Glass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was an experimental chapter that ended up making it in. It's pretty high on the drama, but I did you a solid and didn't leave a nasty cliffhanger at the end like I _could_ have (so it's safe to read, even when it feels hard!). 
> 
> Just remember I love you and I ALWAYS FIX MY SHIT.
> 
> xoxo

If Blake knew her current whereabouts, he’d probably have an out of body experience. 

Part of her was grateful for the time alone to figure this out while he was back in Nashville, and the other part of her hated that he wasn’t there with her. It was a strange feeling, knowing how in love with Blake she was, but then again being programmed completely different. She was programmed to handle things on her own, and this might be the only opportunity she would have to confront him. And she definitely would not have Blake’s blessing or permission to be walking through the doors of the local jail where she knew Gavin was still being held.

She looked different than usual - she was wearing a ball cap, her blonde hair tied back loosely at the base, jeans and a crewneck sweatshirt with the Abbotsleigh logo plastered across the front. She didn’t exactly know what to wear to visit someone in jail, but she felt like her normal pink tights or summer dresses wouldn’t match the occasion. She didn’t want to look good - especially not for him.

After a strenuous check in process, she felt her stomach tie up in knots as she was led back to a room. The familiar glass barriers and telephones were only a scene she had previously seen in movies, and it was so strange that they were her current reality. She really felt like hurling when her eyes came upon him, but she held her composure and her stoic face as she took a seat. He was already sneering at her as soon as he picked up the phone to speak.

“You always wanted what you couldn’t have,” Gavin began. “Imagine my surprise when they tell me you stopped by and wanted to see me. It’s too good to be true - but even this level of groveling might be beneath you.”

Gwen didn’t say anything, looked down to a piece of paper in her hand and unfolded it. She held it up and against the glass between them so that he could read it. 

“I mean, you came all this way without _buckeye_ , you can’t hide that you want me back.”

“Read the fucking paper,” Gwen insisted, not moving. Gavin rolled his eyes and obliged. 

“The hell is that, a birth certificate?” He asked. 

“Read the father’s name,” her tone was steady. 

A moment later, he started to chuckle. 

Gwen took the paper away from in between them, her eyes burning as they went back to him. 

“So you’re not even going to say anything?” she asked. “Are you even going to deny it? Do you even know who this girl is?”

“This is a strange way to beg me to take you back, but okay, I guess I’ll play along,” Gavin shrugged. “Her mother’s a whore, that was a mistake. What do you expect me to do about it? Not my fault she kept the kid.”

“You’re something else,” she scoffed. “And you make no sense. Because if you admit that this kid belongs to you…why do you not even care? Why do you care so much about King, but not about Daisy?”

“How the hell did you even find that?” He deflected. “Your stalker abilities are off the charts. Always were, though.”

“Answer the question,” she responded simply.

“But darling, you can’t handle the answer.”

“Try me.”

“Taking King away from you was the easiest way to punish you. The easiest way to remind you that I will always be in control.”

The realization hit her in the stomach, though she was not completely oblivious to the likely truth of the statement. It had always been something deep down that she thought about.

“So children are just pawns to you,” she said. “That’s great. You don’t care about Daisy, you put a fake name on her birth certificate, but since you can’t use her to make anyone miserable, you don’t have a use for her.”

“I gave that bitch money to go away,” he growled. “If she’s back and asking you for money in an effort to try and find me, I will _handle it_.”

“You can call your thugs off, she’s nowhere to be found,” Gwen rolled her eyes.

“How do you know that?” He inquired. 

“It literally doesn’t matter,” she shook her head. 

“You’re not even going to tell me where the hell you found that?”

It dawned on her then that Gavin had no idea that Gwen even knew Daisy - and probably less of an idea that Daisy somehow ended up at the ballet studio, right under his nose. 

“Birth certificates are public record, Gavin,” she deflected, working hard to conceal any more information than was necessary for him to know. “For someone that often uses a fake secret name, you sure did say it loud enough many times to anyone who’d listen.”

She delicately folded the piece of paper back up and stood to leave.

“Come on, that’s _all_?” he scoffed, realizing her intent.

“What do you expect?” she spat. “I have nothing left to say to you. You’re a plague on my life. The only fucking reason you are still around is because of _him_ …” she inhaled, forcing her maintained composure. “And it’s a hell of a lot easier to do this when you’re locked up and can’t grab me to choke me just because you feel like it.”

Gavin hit the plastic that divided them, causing Gwen to jolt, startled. 

“I post bail soon, you’d be best off to remember that there’s no amount of money I can’t afford.” He paused. “You’re a whore just like the woman listed on that birth certificate.” His tone shifted suddenly as he finished off the statement. “Don’t walk alone in the dark, there might just be some karma in the shadows waiting for you.”

Gwen had had enough, and her limits of maintaining her composure were being tested. She finished standing, and made a brisk exit right before she lost it. 

———

The streets were eerie and dark.

It was the early stages of an upcoming summer thunderstorm, as the wind began to howl and push the trees around. The quiet streets were illuminated by the streetlights, everyone else had better sense to be inside, it seemed. 

She turned the car down the street, but hit the brakes as the entrance was blocked off with orange cones. She groaned and sighed, slowly backing up - the city had blocked her entire road off to repave it bright and early the next morning, and it had completely slipped her mind. She pulled into a space half a block down, but didn’t immediately turn the car off. She sat idle, the words Gavin had hurled at her going around in her head. As much as she tried to not let them get to her, they always did. 

She let out a breath, and reached into her purse to retrieve her phone. It only took Blake two rings before he picked it up. 

“Hi baby!” he greeted, the sounds of a crowded bar in the background. “Hang on, give me a sec, let me get outside…”

Gwen waited, her eyes surveying the eerie pre-thunderstorm scenes still in front of her. She took comfort in hearing the sounds of wherever Blake was, and soon her came back on the line.

“Hey, can you hear me better now?” He asked, slightly out of breath.

“Yeah, I can hear you,” she said. “Hi.”

“Are you okay?” He asked, his tone changing suddenly. 

She exhaled, and even though she wanted so badly to say yes, she knew there wasn’t going to be much convincing him of that being the truth.

“I miss you,” she said instead. “I miss you a lot, you have no idea.”

“You’re dodging,” Blake observed. “We said we wouldn’t do that to one another.”

“I know,” she agreed. “It’s just a lot easier when you’re here. I’m just having a weird night. And it’s that creepy weather right before a thunderstorm that you know I hate so much.”

“Where are you right now?” He asked, trying that route instead. 

“I’m sitting in my car. I’m parked far away from the house though, I forgot they were paving in the morning.”

A flutter of activity caught her attention off to the right, in the near distance. She kept her eyes fixated on it, realizing it was two people that were approaching on the sidewalk. A light flashed briefly in her rear view mirror that caused her attention to pull to that, and she saw two other people suddenly approaching. 

“Gwen?” Blake asked.

“I need to get out of here,” she said suddenly, grabbing the shifter and pressing it into drive.

“What’s going on, what’s happening?”

“I don’t know, I’m probably just paranoid, it’s probably nothing,” she exhaled. She pulled her car out onto the quiet street, and she noticed the people both in front of her and behind her began speeding up. “Oh my god,” she exclaimed, as she punched the gas to accelerate.

“Gwen, talk to me!” Blake practically yelled, trying to get her attention. 

“I-I—I don’t know what’s happening,” she said desperately. “These people, they just appeared suddenly —“

A giant truck suddenly pulled in front of her, aligned perfectly with the intent to stop her car completely. With no time to react, she let out a scream as her front end went crashing right into the side.

“Gwen!” he yelled. “What the fuck just happened?!”

Before she could say anything else, her car was surrounded by the four men - each of them hovering near one of the four tires on her car, each of them holding a baseball bat. One of the men broke out a can of spray paint and walked along the side of the car. They were all masked, and she couldn’t make out any features. She was paralyzed in fear as she felt herself start to cry, finally able to manage words.

“Blake, I need help, I really need help,” she choked out. “I love you Blake.”

A moment later the men stepped forward, swinging their baseball bats at the car, shattering all of the glass out of the windows as Gwen curled into a ball in the driver’s seat, partially crying and screaming all at the same time.

She didn’t stop until she realized they all jumped into the black truck she had crashed into, the exhaust blaring as it sped off into the night. Her hand went to the side of her head at the sudden pain she felt there, before her vision went as black as the night.

——

The first sensation she felt was water.

It was water simply everywhere. She felt it on her face, she felt it in her hair, she felt it soaking her clothes. She felt droplets run down the sides of her face. She felt the contrasting heap of once-dry blankets covering her body, soaking up some of the moisture from her clothes. She felt a shiver go down her spine, despite their best efforts.

The second sensation was light.

Her eyes opened and were scathed instantly by a bright, white light. She had to close her eyes again to bear it. 

The third was pain. 

A dull, throbbing pain on the side of her head that screamed for sudden attention. 

“Miss? Are you awake?”

An unfamiliar male voice hit her ears. Her eyes opened and she shot straight up, her vision blurry and only able to make out shapes in front of her. Her heart raced as her panic returned, the tears going down her cheeks as she jerked away from the hand she felt on her arm. 

“Gwen, Gwen, Gwen,” Darla’s familiar Russian accent came from the other side, taking her hand as she gently shushed her down. “ _Kroshka_ , you’re okay, James and I are both here. Blake’s on his way.”

She blinked heavily in an attempt to regain her vision, and she was surprised when it worked somewhat - she could clearly make out Darla’s face, and for some reason the sight of her just made her break down in tears. Darla moved forward, her arms going around her, hugging her tightly - but not nearly as tight as Gwen’s hold on her. 

“If she’s awake, we can get her statement now,” someone said from across the room.

“You will do no such thing,” Darla said, spouting off obscenities in Russian. “Get the fuck out of here. She needs time.”

“You don’t want to test this one, _trust me_ ,” James said snidely, gesturing to Darla. The guy digressed and stepped out before she could get in another word edgewise.

“James,” Gwen said weakly, and he came around to her side. 

“Hi doll, I’m here,” he said affectionately, and she leaned into him while her hand still held Darla. 

“What happened to my head? It hurts bad,” she said, her hand moving to the back - this time feeling a piece of gauze there. 

“They are looking at your scans,” James said. “But they’ll still talk to you about a possible concussion, otherwise it’s just a bump.”

“How did I get here?” Her next question came immediately.

“Blake said he was talking to you on the phone,” Darla said quietly. “He called 911 for help and then called me to make sure someone would come be with you.” She paused. “Do you remember the ambulance coming?”

“No,” she replied honestly, her voice getting lower. “I just remember my car…” Her words drifted off as her eyes shut.

“You’re probably going to need a new one,” Darla agreed. 

Gwen caught her gaze and swallowed. “Let me see it.”

Darla stroked her hair back gently. “I don’t think that’s a good idea…”

“Please.”

Darla sighed, fumbling with her phone and pulling up the photos. She took one more look at Gwen, silently asking her if she was sure she really wanted to see - and Gwen nodded, holding out of her palm. She digressed and placed the phone there, and Gwen turned the image up to look at it. 

The tears pricked in her eyes when she saw it. The glass was completely shattered from all windows, there were dents from the bats at random places on the body, but those things weren’t even the things that bothered her most. In large red spray painted lettering, the word “WHORE” was written across one side. 

She pressed Darla’s phone back into her hand, not wanting to see it any more.

“Blake’s calling,” James said suddenly. “He’s been calling every ten minutes…do you want to?”

Gwen nodded profusely and took James’ phone from him and slid to answer.

“Blake?” Her voice was trembling as she felt herself starting to get emotional.

“Holy fuck,” the words came as a shock. “I can’t believe its you - you’re awake?? Are you ok??”

“I hate saying this and I feel terrible about it, but I need you to come home now, please,” Gwen begged. 

Blake sighed. “Sweetheart, I’m already at the airport. There are no flights until tomorrow and a lot have been getting canceled because of some really nasty weather, I’m trying so hard to get to you right now,” he breathed. “I know some people in the industry that might have private charters here still, I’m making calls. I’m trying.”

“Thank you,” she said softly, genuinely.

“Are you okay?” He repeated. “Can you tell me what happened?”

Gwen swiped under her eyes, as she looked up to Darla and James’ concerned expressions. The attention of all three of them was hard to swallow. “My head hurts, I have a migraine,” she said. “A few bruises, scratches, but that’s all.”

“It was him, wasn’t it?”

Her mind flashed to the picture on Darla’s phone as her lips pressed together. “Yeah,” she said in a whisper.

“Darla won’t send me the pictures, but she told me enough,” he said. 

“Darla did the right thing by telling you no,” Gwen responded. 

“We are not going to let him get away with this,” the anger in his tone was rising. “He’s fucking dead.”

“Don’t go after him, please,” Gwen reasoned. “Revenge is not worth losing you.”

“I’m not just going to sit back and do nothing,” he responded a bit stronger than he intended. “I shouldn’t have left you. This wouldn’t have happened it —“

“— please don’t start with that,” Gwen said with a sigh. She debated telling him about her little trip to the jail, but felt like she needed to own up to that in person. “We’ll talk about all of this together when you’re back, okay? Just don’t do anything in the meantime.”

“Okay,” he begrudgingly consented. “Baby, I’m getting another call, it might be a plane, I’m so sorry.”

“I love you,” she said. “So much, you don’t even know.”

“I love you too,” he said. And with that, the line went dead. 

She handed James back his phone and sighed, a few tears falling down her cheeks. 

“Thank you both for being here,” she breathed.

“You’re family,” Darla dismissed. “Besides, I already promised Blake I was bringing you home with me if you get discharged tonight so that you’re not alone. And before you say anything, remember it’s pointless to argue with me.”

“Miss Stefani?” a woman walked in wearing a white coat, flanked by a nurse. “Glad to see you’re awake. I’m Dr. Adams. There was an issue with your CT scan and we need to take another.” The doctor looked to Darla and James. “We won’t be gone long, you can wait here if you’d like.”

Suddenly the prospect of being away from the only two people she knew was terrifying to her. 

“We’re not going anywhere,” James insisted, as he rested his hand on her shoulder. 

Gwen sighed, nodded, and soon laid back so they could take her. 

Never in her life did she think she could miss Blake as much as she did in those moments.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....thoughts? Do you hate me? Are you boycotting now? 
> 
> (Don't boycott, because what I have written and planned will more than make up for it...and in a strange twist of events, these things help those things in the long run...)


	37. Of Cars & Lawyers

All she could do was fixate her eyes on the half empty wine bottle in front of her.

Gwen was curled up in a ball on the couch, her arms around her legs as her cheek rested on her knee. It had been such a long day, really, such a long _two_ days, and all of her strength was depleted from keeping it all together on her own. She had no energy, and only held on to knowing that Blake was due back late that night from Nashville. He had insisted so many times on the phone before boarding the plane that he did not expect her to wait up on him, but to be honest, she didn’t think she could manage anything else until she was back in his arms.

Life suddenly had various ways of punching her in the gut.

She took another sip and inhaled sharply, her head turning as her attention shifted to the front door when she heard the familiar sound of his keys. The wave of emotion that hit her that moment when she actually realized how much she had missed him was overwhelming.

The door pushed open, and she just kept her eyes on him as he pushed his luggage through the door, and set his keys on the table in the foyer. He didn’t notice her at first, but she was on her feet in a nanosecond and it only took him one glance to do a double take as she practically jogged over to him, her emotions overwhelming her as she tried to contain the cries that threatened to burst through. Anything in his hands was instantly forgotten as soon as she was up on her toes and her arms clung around his neck tightly.

“Baby,” he said softly, at a loss for words. His hand moved to stroke her hair as he tried to contain himself, but backed his hand off just a bit when he felt the gauze placed there. Instead, he let it rest on the small of her back.

She inhaled his light aftershave, a dizzying comfort in all of this. She memorized every inch of her body that his hand caressed over, and let herself feel calmer just by the warmth radiating from his body.

“I am so sorry it took me so long to get back,” he apologized. “God, I’m so sorry.”

His hands on her hips tugged her just a bit so that he could look at her face. Tear stained eyes and cheeks looked back up at him, as she inhaled to catch her breath. His large hand cupped one of her cheeks, and she leaned into it and let out a shaky breath. 

“What did the doctor say?” He asked, tracing his finger lightly over a small scrape near her forehead. 

“Minor concussion,” she said quietly. “I just have a headache, I’m fine. Just scared.” She exhaled. “Better now.” She paused, her eyes closing, which forced a tear down her cheek. “Are you okay to stay up for a bit? We have a _lot_ we need to talk about…but if you need to get some rest I understand.”

“Trust me, I am wide fucking awake right now,” Blake responded. “Have you eaten?”

“Just wine,” she shook her head.

“I’m not a doctor, but I think that’s the worst thing you could do with regard to your head,” Blake nudged her. “Come on. Kitchen.”

Gwen swiped under her eyes and followed him, stopping only to hover back as he opened the fridge. He pulled a packet of cheese out along with butter, closed the fridge, then grabbed the loaf of bread next to the freezer. 

“You just got home, you really don’t have to make me anything…”

He set the contents over near the stove burner, and ducked under to grab the frying pan. He turned the burner on to heat up, and Gwen lifted herself to sit on the counter. “Yes I do,” he responded adamantly. “You need more in ya than that skinny popcorn stuff you snack on all the time.”

She sighed. “Grilled cheese is going to make me very happy,” she said quietly. 

He offered her a small smile, coming to stand in between her legs, his hands resting at the small of her back. “ _You_ make me very happy,” he responded sweetly. She leaned forward and kissed him, her palms resting against his chest. 

“What time did you and Darla get home from the ER?” He asked.

Gwen shrugged a little. “Late,” she responded. “Or early, depending on how you look at it. It was well past midnight.”

“I was so scared yesterday,” he admitted. “I didn’t want to say it, because I know it’s ten times more terrifying for you. But I was. And I thought the worst. I am just so happy that you’re okay.”

She pulled him forward a little, hugging him. 

“Thank you for coming back as soon as you could,” she whispered in his ear. “It makes me want to cry just thinking about it - but like in a good way.”

He broke away briefly to begin assembling the ingredients together. 

“Come on, spill,” he encouraged her. “What all do we need to talk about?”

She sighed again, swiping under her eye. Blake added the butter to the pan and couldn’t seem to shake the feeling that there was more going on than he thought.

“It’s just been a few really long days.” She exhaled, her brain trying to find all of the words. In an effort to distract herself, she reached for his hand, holding it carefully as she examined it.

“Doesn’t hurt as much as I thought it would,” Blake said, before Gwen was able to comment on the appearance. It was bruised, and the two day old wounds were just a reminder of how their surprise engagement party had come to a crashing halt. He nudged her. “Come on, talk to me. You promised you would.”

“It’s just…it’s been one thing after another and, sometimes it’s all just really hard.”

“What’s really hard?” he asked, attentively, his hand reaching for the spatula. 

Out of all the things she needed to tell him, she picked the one that was likely most pressing, as the beans could literally spill any minute - there was a secret lurking in the house that she had to get out of the way, but she needed to work herself up to it. “These kids are so hard to love,” her voice cracked, as she swiped under her eye. “And that’s so selfish, because I was one of them, and they literally don’t have anyone else to love them, and I want to love them, and I do…but…”

“You need to breathe,” he interrupted her, as soon as he realized the pace of her words quickened. He knew that when that happened, things could possibly spiral out of control. Gwen sucked in a breath at the request. 

“Gracie is gone,” her words are full of anguish. It took Blake a moment to process the name, but remembered Gwen had mentioned the little girl a few times from Daisy’s class. “I haven’t seen her in weeks and I tried to track her down, she hasn’t been to school, the address we have is a dead end, and I don’t know what happened to her, or if she’s even safe.” She swiped under her eyes. “Then Marley came to class with bruises on her arm that looked like someone grabbed her, and she could barely even look at me when I tried to talk to her. And —“ Her eyes drew up to Blake’s, her words suddenly more timid and whispered. “And there’s something else. _Someone_ else.”

Blake’s gaze returned to Gwen, silently encouraging her to continue.

“I brought Daisy home again,” she paused. “And…and I think this time, it’s going to be for more than one night.”

“She’s here?” he asked, his eyes going to Gwen’s bedroom door. “Now?”

Gwen nodded, waiting for his response. “Please don’t be mad, I had to do it. I didn’t have a choice.”

“Did you think I would be mad?” he asked genuinely. 

“I don’t know,” she replied honestly. “I don’t want to fight with you. But Blake, I had to bring her home with me.”

Blake sighed and nodded, flipping the sandwich in the pan. His words were gentle. “What happened this time?”

“I got a call this morning - it was from Daisy, it was on her mom’s phone,” she whispered. “She gave me an address, and told me that her mom told her to call at the time that she did to tell me she needed me to come get her.” She exhaled a shaky breath. “So, so I made Darla take me back here, I got the keys to Marianne’s car, I was thinking I was going to go pick her up from school or something, I don’t know. She said she was alone. I made her stay on the phone with me. And I pulled into the driveway, Daisy was sitting on the porch.” She felt herself start to get more emotional, and she inhaled sharply at an attempt to at least be able to continuing forming full words for Blake to understand. Her lip quivered as her voice dropped on the next sentence. “There were two suitcases packed on the porch with her.”

“Oh my god,” was all that Blake could say, realizing the implication of what that probably meant. 

“Yeah so I mean, I panicked a little. I picked her up and held her - I didn’t know if she knew, or what her mother told her. But the front door was unlocked and I went inside. And I felt sick when I realized the entire house was empty. I turned around really fast and took her to the car. I grabbed the suitcases and I brought her back here.” She forced her eyes to go to his, taking his gaze immediately. “Please let her stay,” she begged through her tears. “I can’t abandon her, too. And I don’t know if Gavin is going to go after her, he doesn’t care about either of them, he said he only finds them useful if he can use them against someone.”

“We are not going to abandon Daisy,” Blake said in no uncertain terms. “But how do you even know Gavin knows about Daisy?”

Her face went white as a ghost. Her eyes averted as Blake handed her a paper plate with the grilled cheese on it. Her hands began to tremble, which led to her setting it off to the side for the time being.

“Because I confronted him about it,” she swallowed roughly.

“When?” His full attention was on her, temporarily forgetting the second grilled cheese he was making. His voice was insistent, demanding, almost, as he tried to put these pieces together.

“When you were in Nashville,” she whispered. “And before…”

Her words trailed off and she couldn’t even look at him. She was paralyzed in her fear of telling him about the conversation, but she was fighting her nature and trying to just be honest with him.

They were staring at each other longer than they thought, the smell of burnt bread hit both of their senses at the same time, Blake quickly remembering the sandwich he was trying to make. He flipped it over quickly, but pulled the pan and set it off to the side once he realized it was too burnt. He sighed in frustration, causing Gwen’s body to tense.

“I’m sorry,” her voice broke as she felt herself tearing up again. “Please don’t hate me. I didn’t know he would do something like he did…”

Blake stood up straight, forcing an exhale. He moved to stand in front of her again.

“You’re going to kill me some day,” he said with a sigh, his eyes right into hers. “What he did is not your fault. Am I happy that you did that? No. But you’re stubborn, it’s not exactly out of character for you.” He paused. “And damnit, Gwen, there is nothing in this world that would ever make me hate you. I’m not even capable of that.”

She sighed, still not taking much relief from his words.

“Please, don’t do something like that again on your own. I want you to involve me. I know you are capable of taking care of yourself, but I think once you realize it’s better to talk through things with someone, your life is going to be much easier.”

“You would’ve said no,” she sniffled.

“And you’re probably right about that,” Blake agreed. “But you are more important than anything else in this world. Any revenge, any amount of information. You can’t keep going into these situations alone. You are going to get hurt - you _have_ gotten hurt.”

“I know,” she said quietly. He placed a new grilled cheese sandwich in the pan after discarding the burnt one. “I’m trying. I just thought it would be fine…”

“I know you are,” Blake said. He flipped the sandwich when it was time, a few moments later. “Come on, you’ve been through enough,” his hand went to rest on her thigh in an attempt to soothe her shakiness. “You’re going to make your headache worse, just take a deep breath and try to relax a little.”

“I don’t know if that’s possible,” she said quietly, letting herself down from the counter. To his surprise, she walked out of the kitchen and went back to sit on the couch. A minute later, he reached for the plate and untouched grilled cheese she had left behind, and slid the second one for him onto the same plate. He turned the burner off, and made his way over next to her.

He set the plate on the coffee table, and his hands went to her waist and pulled her into his lap. His arms secured tightly around her in a hug, and he kissed her cheek.

“I love you more than life, you stubborn little nymph,” he joked, the nickname of which thankfully got her to chuckle a bit through her tears. He reached for the plate and handed it to her. “Eat.”

She took it willingly, and ripped a corner off the sandwich and put it in her mouth.

“Can I look at this?” He asked, referring to the gauze on the side of her head.

“Yeah,” she said quietly. “It probably needs more ointment on it, too, if you don’t mind.” She gestured to the small white tube on the table.

“Of course not,” he said, reaching for it and letting it balance on his thigh. Gwen ripped another piece of the sandwich off, twisting at her waist to look back at him first to offer him the bite. He took it, and playfully sucked her finger before releasing and offering her a smile. She couldn’t help but return one before she twisted back around.

Blake removed the gauze gently. “They stitched you up nice and good,” he said.

“They gave me stitches?” She asked. They must have done it when she was still passed out.

“Just a couple,” he said. “I know it feels like hell, but I promise you it doesn’t look like it.”

She ate another bite of the grilled cheese, only wincing a bit as she felt the cold cream being applied.

“That ok?” He asked.

“Yeah, just a little cold,” she said. “I think the cream has lidocaine in it, I won’t feel it much in a minute.” He closed the gauze over the small wound, and placed a kiss nearby on the back of her head. She turned to him again, and offered him another bite, which he took.

“Mmm…I did good for being jet lagged,” Blake said through his chewing. She offered him a small smile and turned the rest of her body to stay in that position so that she could look at him.

“You always do good,” she corrected him. They ate in a content silence for the following minutes, until Blake took the empty plate from her hands and set it on the table.

“Mister Blake?” Daisy’s tired, high pitched voice came from the hallway nearby. “Is that you?”

Gwen straightened herself immediately, swiping furiously under her eyes as she attempted to make herself look like she hadn’t been crying most of the evening.

“Hey, peanut,” he looked back over the couch, offering her a smile. “I’m so happy to see you again. Come ‘ere.” 

Daisy came around to the front of the couch, yawning, dragging the stuffed monkey Gwen had given her last time she stayed the night. Blake lifted her onto the other side of his lap with ease, her little body tiredly laying against him. 

“Did I wake you up? I’m sorry, sweetheart,” Blake said to the small girl. 

“Why is Ms. Gwen upset?” Daisy called her out, her eyes looking right at Gwen next to them. 

Gwen forced a smile. “Hey tiny, I’m fine, I just stubbed my toe on the couch. It really hurt, that’s all.”

“You’re lying,” Daisy said, her face deadpanned. “Is this because my mom left me?”

Being faced with such a bold question nearly knocked the wind out of her lungs. Gwen leaned forward a bit, her attention fixated on the girl. 

“Is that what she said to you?” Gwen asked delicately. 

“No,” Daisy responded. “But she didn’t come back. I’m six, I’m not stupid.”

“No, you’re not stupid, sweetheart,” Gwen agreed with a nod. 

“So she’s not coming back?” Daisy repeated. 

Gwen looked up to Blake, trying to find the words, but feeling like she might lose it again at any second. Being confronted so strongly by a six year old had never stung so badly.

“You’re going to stay with us for a while,” Blake intervened. “I think your mom has a few things to figure out, and she had you call Miss Gwen because she knew that she would take care of you.” He paused. “We can also literally make pancakes all the time now, since my star chef is staying here,” he offered her a smile, nudging her. 

“Is my mom okay?” the girl asked quietly, not fully convinced she wanted to know the real answer.

“She is just fine,” Gwen lied, obviously with no idea about the situation. “She knows how much I love you, and that’s why you’re here.” She paused. “Do you want Mister Blake to take you back to bed? Your eyes are all droopy.”

“No,” she whimpered, shaking her head. “I don’t want you to leave me too.”

“I am never going to leave you,” Gwen’s words were firm, a stark contrast to the softer voice she had been using. “Don’t you even think that for a minute. I am _always_ going to have your back.” Gwen reached forward, pulling her out of Blake’s arms and into her own. Gwen hugged her tightly, only letting her face break to allow a few tears to roll down her cheek once Daisy could no longer see her face. Blake shifted Gwen towards him, easily allowing for his arms to go around both of them in another hug. “You are so loved, tiny,” Gwen whispered into her hair. “I promise you that from the bottom of my heart.”

“Why don’t you come to bed with us tonight,” Blake offered Daisy gently. “Will that make you feel better?”

Daisy nodded as she looked up to him.

“Hey, we didn’t even get to tell you yet,” Gwen said, smiling through her tear stained eyes as she tried to lift the mood. “Mister Blake and I are getting married.”

“Whaaaaaat,” Daisy gasped. She reached down to Gwen’s hands, searching for an engagement ring. “It’s so pretty, I want to try it on?”

Gwen smiled and slid the ring off of her finger, and handed it to the small girl. Daisy took it, sliding it onto one of her little fingers as she _oohed_ and _ahhed_ over it. 

“I want you to remember something,” Gwen said. “The ring is really pretty. But it’s not what love is. Love is something you feel in your heart. And when you find it, you can’t let it go. Not for anything.”

“But what if my boyfriend gives me an ugly ring?” Daisy asked seriously. Both Blake and Gwen couldn’t help but laugh, the room suddenly just a bit softer.

“I promise, I won’t let that happen,” Gwen said, still giggling. She caught sight of another yawn on Daisy’s part, and she reached up to ruffle her hair. “Come on, let’s go get settled in while Mister Blake gets ready for bed.”

——

It was the early hours in the morning when his eyes fluttered awake. 

Not quite light enough outside to make a big difference in the illumination in the dark room, though his eyes adjusted accordingly. Gwen was loosely curled up near him, and he could tell she was awake as he watched her hand stroking back Daisy’s hair on the opposite side of her.

His arms moved forward, coming around her waist as they pulled her into his warm body. A gentle kiss was placed on her neck.

“Did you sleep at all?” he whispered softly.

Gwen hummed at first, a delay in response. “No,” she whispered back.

“Who knew such a spitfire of energy could sleep so soundly,” Blake commented, his eyes resting on the little girl.

Gwen sighed, slowly turning a bit onto her back to look up at Blake. There was so much activity going on in those eyes - it was a strange mixture of pain, hope, and hesitation. He detected the moisture in her eyes, and her determination to keep her composure. He leaned down and kissed her softly - she took a breath in and exhaled as soon as he moved back.

“I need to find a lawyer,” she whispered quietly. “Because as bad as it was for me, it would be ten times worse for her.” She paused. “She’s so young, she’s so small, and she just deserves unconditional love and I can’t leave that to chance. I can’t let them put her into such a broken system, she won’t get out.” Gwen’s eyes shut closed, forcing the tears that had formed down the sides of her cheeks. She opened them again, her eyes more painful this time, almost as if she couldn’t bear to say what she was going to say next. 

She exhaled as she lost her courage the first time. Blake could see it was difficult for her, and didn’t want to interrupt her thought process.

“I know you have a _lot_ of things going on right now that involve lawyers…” She paused. “If this changes things between us,” she swallowed, looking away and forcing an exhale. “I would understand. And I would just say that I hope you can understand why I need to do this. I know you didn’t sign up for a fiancee and an adoption when you put that ring on my finger.”

“I don’t care if I have to adopt five kids to be with you, Gwen,” he responded suddenly. “I told you that I wanted a family with you. Daisy is a special little girl, and we’re both going to fight together to keep her with us.” He paused. “I think it’s the best thing, that story you told me about how her mom just left her like that…it makes me sick, and I wouldn’t even let Daisy go home with her if she showed up right now.”

“I’m sorry,” Gwen responded. “I just wanted to give her a chance. I had no idea something like this…”

His arms tightened around her and held her tightly. Gwen’s arms went up around his neck, as she let her cheek rest against him. 

“You were only trying to help in the best way possible for what we knew at the time,” he said softly. “This is not your fault. It could have been worse, she had your phone number because of last time and that led to Daisy being able to call you in the first place.”

“This isn’t going to be easy, Blake,” she exhaled. “I’ve been thinking about this all night. You know I see so much of myself in her, but that scares me more than anything else.” She paused. “I know that I have some level of abandonment issues. Maybe I can help her the most, maybe I can get her into some kind of counseling before it gets too bad for her and she can cope better than I did.”

“Shh…” Blake encouraged her softly. “You don’t have to plan the next ten years out all in one night, darling.”

“I’m starting to realize maybe I’m too close on this one sometimes,” Gwen conceded. “We need to be on the same page. We need to talk things out. And most of that is my fault because I’ve stopped listening after a certain point. But I’m going to try really hard not to do that anymore.”

“You have no idea how much that means to me to hear you say that,” Blake said, at a loss for other words. “I’m going to try to be more aware of your experience, and hear you out before I respond. Okay?”

Gwen nodded, letting out a breath. “Another thing…”

“Anything,” he encouraged her, as she seemed to struggle with the words.

She exhaled again, almost letting out a chuckle. “I don’t know why this part is so hard,” she bit her lip and shut her eyes tightly. He was caressing her arm, and she focused solely on that for a few moments. “I don’t exactly know how I’m going to pay for a lawyer…”

“I’m paying for it,” he dismissed, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Are you sure?” She asked. “You’re already helping me with a car because we know the insurance money is going to be crap. I feel like shit even bringing it up, and I’d sell everything I own again to find the money, but if I can avoid selling my part of the studio…”

“Thank you for asking me to help you,” he responded, cutting her line of thought. “What good is money if you can’t use it to help the people that you love?” He looked over Gwen’s shoulder, and down to Daisy. “I don’t exactly know when it happened, but that little one made me fall in love with her. A close second only to you.” He shrugged. “And a car is material, you need something reliable and safe. That one is definitely not negotiable.”

“I’ll never forget when I met her,” Gwen said quietly. “It was eerie, though, it played out almost exactly like they told me my first meeting with Marianne was.” She sighed. “I wish I remembered more about it.”

“You don’t remember?” Blake asked.

Gwen shook her head. “Anything that happened before I was a teenager is in bits in pieces, for the most part,” she said. “Maybe it’s for the best.”

Blake kissed the top of her head. “She is still sleeping soundly,” he said, with a shake of his head. “Why don’t you try and rest a bit - just close your eyes if you can’t sleep. And we’ll start looking for cars and lawyers together in the morning.”

She nodded again with a slight chuckle, the pairing seemed so odd. Blake laid flat on his back and held his arm open to her. Gwen shifted over, coming under his arm as her body naturally curled into him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for all the love <3


	38. From England, With Love

Gwen exhaled, tapping the mouse slowly as her gaze got lost in her laptop. 

It had been a hectic week, and the quiet time to herself was a bit strange. Blake had been stowed away in his office most of the morning on some conference calls for his other company, and he had sent her a giant list of cars to go through and look at online. With Daisy out of school, Gwen had enrolled her in the full time summer children’s program where she was presumably dancing her little heart away. The thought warmed Gwen’s heart when she thought about how excited she had been. She was on the seventeenth, maybe eighteenth link when James knocked at her door and peeked his head inside. 

“Can you sign off on this purchase order, ma’am?” He looked at her knowingly over the top rim of his glasses.

Gwen gave him an incredulous look. “And since when do you come to me with purchase orders that need to be signed by either an owner or the Controller? She questioned. “I’m not married just yet.”

“Since I found out that you already own half of the company,” James said, now sitting on top of her desk, that knowing look asking for an explanation still plastered on his face. “That, and you said yourself, Blake is not allowed to sign off on any purchase orders on his own that involve pointe shoes.”

If she hadn’t been so stunned, she probably would have laughed and cringed thinking back to the encounter of which he was referring to. Instead, her gaze averted a moment. “Who else knows?” she asked quietly. 

“Just Darla and I,” he said. “We aren’t telling anyone, obviously. But it might be a matter of time if people find out on their own somehow.” He paused. “Did Marianne do that?”

“Yeah,” she responded. “I tried to give it all to Blake completely, but he wouldn’t take it. And it’s not like we’re trying to keep it a huge secret — I just don’t know how something like that should even be told, if at all?”

“Good that he didn’t accept that,” James said. “This place isn’t anything without you. And you deserve it after pouring your entire life into this place.”

“I have lived in this studio my entire life,” she agreed. “But I don’t feel like I deserve ownership because of that.”

“Because you’re not an asshole,” James chuckled. “Besides, it won’t matter soon anyways when you tie the knot - then technically the whole thing is yours.”

“Another thing I don’t feel I deserve, and another thing I tried to talk Blake into,” she said with a laugh and a shrug. “Unsuccessfully, I might add.”

James handed forward the purchase order with a smile. Gwen took it, glanced over it briefly and penned her signature on the bottom, handing it back. 

“How did that feel?” he asked.

Gwen just laughed. “Really weird,” she admitted. 

“Cut yourself a break. You’ve been through a lot lately.”

They both heard a knock at the door, their attentions both turning to see Blake poking his head through.

“Oh — hi James, good to see you,” he said first, a bit thrown to see him in the office. 

“And that’s my cue!” He popped up suddenly, moving to exit. “ _Have fun…_ ” his words were sing-songy, but Gwen didn’t think too much of it. 

“Hi handsome,” she said sweetly, standing up from the chair. She curled her finger to motion him forward as she moved to the front of her desk, and leaned against it. Blake looked outside to the hallway briefly, then back at Gwen before slipping inside. He offered her a grin, coming up in front of her.

She pushed up and kissed him softly. She lowered back down and raised her eyebrow. 

“Something’s off,” she said. “Why are you acting so weird?”

“What?” he scoffed. “How am I acting weird?”

“The weird glances out in the hallway,” she began. “James couldn’t get out of here fast enough either. Mmm. You’re up to something.”

“I might be, you never know,” he shrugged and grinned. “How’s your day been so far?”

He was deflecting, she knew it, but she would also play along a bit. “Better now that you’re here. I’ve been looking at the cars you sent me. There’s so many, I don’t even know what to do with all of them.”

“Sounds like you need a break,” he said eagerly, tilting his head to one side as his finger traced down her bare arm, his eyes following the motion. 

“Is that why you came in here? Is that couch in your office just a bit too cold right now?” she asked quietly, a hint of seduction in her voice. He placed his hands on her desk, on each side of her, caging her as he leaned forward and kissed her.

She returned the kiss, her hands sliding up to the back of his neck, pulling him towards her more intensely as she initiated another kiss. “On the other hand,” her words were hot against his skin, just before she nibbled playfully at his ear. “You can always take me on the desk. We haven’t done that yet.” Her hands caressed down his chest, then moved to his hips, sliding underneath his shirt to tease the bare skin there with her acrylic nails.

He was fighting to maintain his composure, his breathing ragged. The effect she had on him was insane sometimes. He was trying to find the words to get her attention, but only managed her name - it was breathy and mesmerized, just like he was.

“ _Gwen_ …”

She tugged once, undoing his belt buckle and her hand slid into his boxers. She kissed him before whispering again. “Need a little more encouragement?” She grabbed his throbbing, hard length, and Blake groaned.

He groaned again, reached for both of her hands and held her wrists gently against her own chest. 

“Fuck,” he said, his forehead resting on her shoulder. “We can’t do this right now, even though it’s literally the only damn thing I want to do.”

“Why not?” She cooed, cocking her head to the side. “Just lock the door and fuck me.”

He groaned even more, releasing her hands as he grabbed the table again. He kept his forehead on her shoulder, thinking it might help to not look into those seductive eyes.

“Because I _am_ up to something,” he admitted through gritted teeth. “And I am trying so hard right now to not do that.”

She kissed the side of his head. “Exactly how _hard_ is it?” She giggled and just heard another groan. “Sorry. But, this is why you shouldn’t lie to me,” she pecked a kiss on the side of his head. “Cause damnit, you’re not the only one having a hard time right now.” She sighed, and in an effort to be helpful, she reached to tug his jeans back up his hips.

“Not a good idea,” he almost growled, and she quickly pulled her hands back. He groaned and stood up straight, exhaled, buckling, buttoning, and zipping his own jeans. “Your hands down there will only get us into more trouble right now.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, biting her lip. “I had every intention to finish what I started. I didn’t know…”

“…nope, no apologies,” he breathed, and chuckled. “I just forget how powerless I can be around you.”

She let her arms go around his waist, silently looking up at him. 

“Are you _sure_ you don’t want me to…”

“More than anything, baby girl, but I just need a minute,” he chuckled again and forced himself to exhale.

She stayed silent, her head resting against him as she held him in a hug. A minute later, he kissed the top of her head and nudged her. 

“Stay right there,” he said, taking a few steps backwards. He offered her a grin.

She chuckled. “This better be worth it,” she countered, her eyes narrowing in on him as she smiled. 

“I can guarantee with 99.9% accuracy that you are going to completely forget about sex when I come back.”

“Bold statement, Shelton.”

He laughed again, dipping out of view behind the door as he went back into the hallway. Gwen looked down to the ground, then to the window as she impatiently waited for him to return. Her attention went back to the door when it creaked back open - her mouth was open like she was about to say something, but the words choked somewhere in her throat as the person walking through the door wasn’t Blake.

It was someone much younger - much shorter, his height cut somewhere in the middle of Blake’s chest. Gwen just stared. 

“Blake, I think I need you to take me to the doctor,” she managed, staring straight forward. “Because I am having the craziest hallucination right now that my ten year old son is standing in front of me.”

“Mom, it’s really me, I swear it,” Kingston piped up and grinned. The more pronounced English influence on his accent threw her for a loop.

“And now my hallucination is talking to me,” she inhaled in sharply, the tears were only a matter of time.

Blake was standing in the back of the room, propped back against the wall with a grin. “Why don’t you try talking back, honey.”

“King?” Her voice broke, just as the first tear went down her cheek. He shot forward and grabbed Gwen into a hug right before her knees gave out. It only stopped her a moment, though, as her body sank to the floor and she was on her knees crying, her arms ridiculously tight around his body.

“I’ve missed you so much mom,” King said with a sigh, which only served to make her cry harder. She pulled back just a bit and composed herself, her hands resting on both of his cheeks.

“You have?” She asked. “You’re not just saying that?” She paused. “No, it’s fine, I’d actually rather not know the answer to that, you can just lie to me if it’s not true.” Her arms went back around him and she was squeezing him tightly again. Her eyes caught onto Blake as he was hanging back, a smile plastered on his face as he watched her.

“How did you get here?” she asked him, her words rushed. “Did you run away? Is something wrong?”

“ _Mom, you’re suffocating me_ ,” King said through gritted teeth - the pre-teen attitude was coming on strong, a lot more defined than the last time, for sure.

“I literally do not care right now,” she snapped back. “You can’t just walk in here without notice and expect me to be _alright_ ,” she huffed, as she tried to catch her breath through her tempered cries. “And I brought you into this world, I will damn well suffocate you if I please.” Her words were elevating in pitch, obviously not intended to come off as mean. “I haven’t had a son to suffocate in so long,” she continued. “God damnit, why am I even talking about this? I’m so bad at this.” 

Contrary to her words, she did loosen her grip a bit, but continued to just hold him against her.

“Is anyone going to tell me what’s going on?” she asked again. Her eyes got wide in fear as she looked too Blake. “Is…is _he_ …?”

“ — absolutely not,” Blake said firmly, sensing that Gwen’s sudden fear was that Gavin was nearby. Blake would have said more, but in an unfortunate twist of events, Gavin was King’s dad, and he didn’t want to be the guy that talked bad about him - even if he was scum. Blake came and took a seat on the floor next to Gwen, his back leaning against the front of her desk. “And don’t worry about it, I know some people, pulled some strings. He is here completely legally, and he is here for the _entire_ summer.”

“Shut _up_ ,” her voice screeched. “You can’t screw with me on that, don’t lie to me — are you serious?” She looked to King. “Is he serious??”

“Why do girls not ever believe what you tell them?” King asked, directing the question to Blake. 

Blake just chuckled and shook his head. “Son, you’ll be askin’ that question for the rest of your life.”

Gwen’s head whipped around to Blake. “Wait. What does he know?”

Blake cleared his throat. “King knows that your _friend_ Blake really cares about you, and that the most important person in your life is him, and I wanted to do something nice.” He paused. “I felt like anything else was up to you.”

Without thinking, Gwen reached her hand out to hold his, squeezing it tightly for a moment.

King looked back and forth between the two of them, contemplating. “Is Blake your boyfriend?” He asked suddenly.

Gwen’s eyes widened and went back to him, and she released Blake’s hand. “Come here, sit down with me,” she said, gesturing to the floor. She lowered herself into a sitting position, and Blake shifted a bit to be closer to her. Gwen reached forward and stroked King’s hair back out of his face. 

“You know you’re the most important guy in my life,” she began, and sighed. “And I’m so happy you’re here, and so sorry that you weren’t able to be here all this time…and I didn’t know when I’d get to see you next…I didn’t even know if I would ever see you again to be honest...”

“You can just say yes,” King responded. “You’re allowed to have a boyfriend. Actually, I’m glad you do.”

Gwen lost her line of thought as his response shocked her, again. “You are?” she questioned. “….can I ask why?”

“Because I’m glad you have someone that takes care of you,” he responded simply. “When you’re here and you don’t have a boyfriend, that means you’re all alone. I don’t want you to be all alone. You should have someone.”

King’s tender response actually rendered her speechless. She just looked at him, then over to Blake, like she didn’t know what to do next. Blake took it as a safe cue to join the conversation - he closed the distance between him and Gwen, and put his arm around her, pecking a quick kiss on her cheek.

“I’m so in love with your mom, King,” Blake said honestly. “She’s an incredible person, and you’re really lucky to have her.” He paused, looking to Gwen for permission to keep going. He looked back to King once he felt it was given. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to talk to you about this before now, because I might have waited a little longer to get your permission…” he found himself pausing again, and double checking back with Gwen silently to drop the ball. “…but I asked your mom to marry me.”

“What did you say?” King asked immediately, looking to Gwen, the suspense completely lost on him.

Gwen sucked her breath in and held out her hand in front of her, showing him the ring. “I said yes,” she almost whispered, her eyes going up to him. “Is that okay? Are you upset?”

“That is totally ok as long as I don’t have to wear a tux,” King shrugged. 

Gwen chuckled. “Since when did you ever have to wear a tux?”

“I live in England, mom, I have to wear a lot of things I don’t want to.”

The statement pricked at her, but she couldn’t help but laugh at his candor. She could get emotional all over again just thinking about how much he’s grown since the last time she saw him. 

“When did you get so grown up?” Gwen mused, to nobody in particular. It wounded her so deeply when she was hit with the realization that she was missing so much. 

“Hey, mom!” Daisy’s voice came running into the room as she pushed the door open wide and started to run up to Gwen. Gwen didn’t even catch it - her head turned naturally as Daisy ran right up, pulling her from her thoughts, and looked down at her. Daisy suddenly seemed embarrassed, and bit her lip. “I mean Ms. Gwen,” she mumbled, barely audible as she started to shy and back away. She was starting to get upset, Gwen could see it in her eyes, and it was only destined to get worse when…

“You have another kid??” King’s tone changed suddenly, and he moved to stand.

“What?” Gwen said, her head and attention whipping back to him. “It’s not quite like that…I…” She looked back to Daisy and she burst into tears.

“No, no, tiny, please don’t cry…” she was begging, being suddenly bombarded with a ticking time bomb. Gwen reached for Daisy and pulled her into her lap to hold her, to try and calm her down.

“It looks exactly like that,” King said stiffly. “I can’t believe I came here for the entire summer.” He turned to leave.

“King, no!” Gwen practically cried, as one arm came around Daisy and the other lurched out to reach for him. It was futile, as King was almost out the door. “Blake?!” she exclaimed desperately, not even knowing how she wanted help with this.

“I’ve got him, just let him calm down for a few,” Blake said stumbling to his feet, soon jogging out the door and down the hall to catch up to him.

Gwen inhaled sharply, as she looked down to Daisy still crying in her arms. She closed her eyes and swallowed - even though it tore her apart to push the confusion with King aside for a few minutes - she at least knew Blake had him. Her finger gently swiped under the little girl’s eyes.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to, and I upset you,” Daisy said through her tears.

“Shhh…” Gwen rocked her slightly. “Baby girl, you do not need to apologize. You didn’t do anything wrong.” She forced a smile. “You are too pretty for those tears. Come on, take a deep breath.”

Daisy’s little arms came around Gwen’s waist as her breathing slowly began to steady. She let the silence soothe her for a few minutes.

“What were you so worked up about running in here for?” Gwen nudged her. 

Daisy sniffled. “Miss Mirabelle couldn’t find my lunchbox,” she explained. “I thought I left it here.”

Gwen’s eyes went around the room. “I do spy with my little eye an ice blue lunchbox with a few princesses on it…”

Daisy wiped her eyes and looked around the room as well. “It’s over there! In the corner!” she exclaimed, pointing as soon as she found it. Gwen laughed a little and stroked back her hair. 

“Do you want me to walk you back so you can have lunch with your new friends?” she asked gently. Daisy nodded and jumped to stand up. 

“Come ‘ere,” Gwen said, turning her around to face her. Her fingers swiped to clean up the little girl’s face a bit more. She poked her nose gently. “Beautiful.” Gwen swiftly went to her feet, making a few strides across the room to collect the lunchbox.

“Piggyback ride!” Daisy demanded playfully.

“Oh is that what it’s going to take?” Gwen asked. She rolled her eyes and laughed, lowering for the small girl to hop onto her back. Daisy’s little arms went around Gwen’s neck as she stood up again. 

“Just remember, the horse’s foot still hurts, so the fastest this goes is a leisurely walk down the hall,” Gwen forewarned her. She walked out the door with Daisy perched on her back, and began making her way down the hallway.

Gwen felt Daisy’s grip tighten suddenly, which got her attention.

“I love you, Ms. Gwen,” Daisy whispered to her softly.

Those tearjerking words indicated to her that the many emotions of the day were far from over just yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe we only have two chapters left. I'm all up in the feels <3


	39. The Master Plan

It turned out King hadn’t gone too far - Blake had easily caught up to him after giving him a few moments to himself. Gently, he pushed open the side door and cautiously approached the young boy who was sitting on a bench under a small canopy attached to the building.

Blake took a seat on the opposite end of the bench and remained quiet, not wanting to potentially provoke him any more than he already was. He stole a glance without turning his head - what had been pure anger a few minutes prior had manifested into crossed arms and a look of confusion. He was now just upset, and needed a little clarity. 

Despite not having grown up with Gwen much, the similarities were uncanny - and almost a little spooky. He had some of the same mannerisms, which is what he caught onto first - even the way he crossed his arms was so reminiscent of her. The same jaw line and eyes were what he noticed next. King had always been a frequent subject of conversation, but it threw him for a loop momentarily over how _real_ he was now, sitting next to him. 

“You wanna talk about it?” Blake asked eventually, breaking the silence. 

“What’s there to talk about?” King responded, more rhetorically than anything else. “It was pretty clear to me.”

Blake hummed, still cognizant to play this encounter calmly and close to the chest. He felt his phone buzzing in his pocket and pulled it out, his eyes falling upon a string of panicked texts from Gwen. He took a moment to respond, to let her know he was with King and he was going to try to talk to him and calm him down. Blake cringed internally - Gwen had literally just had the opportunity to see her son for the first time in months, and she was already having to give him a little space. He tucked his phone back in his pocket, when King’s stomach growled and interrupted the silence between them again.

“Your mom said once that one of your favorite places to eat is at the diner across the street,” Blake said.

“At least she remembers something,” King mumbled. 

“Oh, she remembers everything about your visits,” Blake confirmed. He went to stand. “Come on, I’m buying.” He was motioning for King to join him, but he didn’t move and just looked at Blake. “You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to, but there are some things I’d like to tell you. Besides, your mom wouldn’t like it very much if I just let you starve.”

He considered it for a few minutes, then went to stand to follow Blake to the diner across the street.

Once they settled into a booth, a waitress came by to take their drink orders. They sat in silence for a while, with King refusing the menu.

“Chicken nuggets and fries, and the small brownie ice cream sundae for dessert?” Blake asked him.

“How did you know?”

“You’ve gotta give your mom some credit, she remembers a lot. She talks about you all the time.”

“It doesn’t change the fact that she lied,” King said.

“What did she lie about?” His tone was curious, and not at all bothered - welcoming, really. 

“How does she just go find another kid when I don’t even get to see her more than once a year?” he asked. “Why doesn’t she want to see me?”

Blake sighed, as he battled himself internally between telling him the full truth which would paint Gavin in a terrible light, or scaling it back a bit to keep a promise he made to himself to not do that. Unfortunately, under the circumstances, he fell somewhere in the middle. Blake couldn’t stand the fact that he might think Gwen had anything to do with this.

“King, I’m going to tell you the truth, and I’m going to explain some things to you because I think you’re old enough to hear it,” Blake replied honestly. “First of all, your mother’s heart is completely shattered when you’re not here. It’s not her choice that you live in England and it’s not her choice that you don’t visit often. Now, I don’t want to speak badly about your dad…because I’m sure that you love him, but he’s the one that set up this arrangement. And some things happened where your mom wasn’t able to get more time with you because of him.”

“My dad said she was busy,” King replied. “He said it was too hard for her to take care of me.”

“That’s not true,” Blake responded simply. “And I’m sorry that you didn’t know the truth all of this time. But the truth is, your mother would probably kill a room full of people if it meant that you would get to live with her full time again. You have no idea how much she loves you.”

“That doesn’t explain why she found another kid,” King countered. “I mean, who is that? Is my mom _really_ her mom?”

“The little girl’s name is Daisy,” Blake explained. “She’s six years old, and is one of your mom’s students in the free after school program.” He paused, and sighed. “The two of them…” he stopped himself, and changed gears. “King, what do you know about your mom? About how she grew up?”

“Not much,” he said. “Anytime I asked about her family, she would just tell me that Miss Marianne was our family. That she didn’t have anyone else. Dad always said I went to live with him because he had a lot of family for me to be around.”

Blake was slightly conflicted again between the truth - which honestly was more for Gwen to tell him when she was ready - and a complete lie. He worked out something in between. 

“Your mom didn’t have a stable home when she was growing up,” Blake explained. “Marianne was her dance teacher, and would help her out and give her a place to stay when she needed it.” He paused. “The reason why I’m telling you this is because…” he sighed. “Daisy’s mom abandoned her a few weeks ago, and she didn’t have anywhere else to go. Her mom left her on a porch with two suitcases and told her to call your mom. Daisy doesn’t have any other family, and needs one now that her mom took off. Gwen is the closest thing she has, just like Marianne was the closest thing she had when she was younger.”

The young boy considered it for a moment, taking it in. “That’s horrible,” King said quietly, his demeanor slowly changing to empathy. 

“She didn’t bring Daisy into our home to replace you, King. God, she could never replace you - she loves you way too much for that. But Daisy needed help, and that’s why she’s with us.”

“I guess that makes sense,” he said, looking down to the table. He paused, thinking it over. “I mean, I guess I wouldn’t have wanted you to leave her by herself with no family.”

The waitress came up to take their orders, and Blake looked over to King. “Is it alright if I order your mom something and she can come join us?” he asked. 

“Yeah,” King said with a nod. “I’d like her to come.”

Blake shot off a text to Gwen telling her to come over, then set his phone down.

“Do you have kids?” King asked Blake next. 

“Oh,” Blake said, a bit surprised. “No, I don’t have any kids. But I want them.”

“Are you and my mom going to have kids?” he asked next.

“That’s a possibility,” Blake responded with a slight chuckle. “But before that happens, I think we’d want to make sure that everyone was good with it, make sure the timing was right. I think your mom really values your opinion too, so she’d probably want to make sure it was ok with you.”

“Where are you from?” he asked next. “Your accent is a little…off.”

“I was definitely prepared for 20 questions,” Blake said in a playful sarcastic voice, and nodded. “I’m from Oklahoma originally, spent a lot of time in Nashville too. A lot different place than California.”

“Hi,” Gwen said as she approached the table suddenly, a bit breathless. She looked nervously between Blake and King, not knowing if it would be ok to sit with King. As a gesture, King scooted himself further into the booth to make room for her. The smile on her face was huge as she took a seat, keeping her eyes on him.

She seemed as if she was battling herself - wanting to lurch forward and envelop him in a hug, but worried if it was too much - not sure how much he was still upset.

“I’m so sorry you found out about her like that,” Gwen exhaled finally, tentatively reaching out to run her hand back through his hair. “I was literally five minutes away from telling you, so much has happened recently. I love you so much and I’m so happy you’re here.”

“It’s okay,” King said. “I’m sorry I got upset. Blake told me about it.”

“What did Blake say?” She asked, glancing briefly over to him. 

“He said she doesn’t have a family and needed one, so that’s what you’re trying to do.”

“Nobody could ever replace you,” she made certain to say the words adamantly, catching his gaze. “If it were up to me, I’d keep you with me forever.” She pulled him into a hug, exhaling as he returned it. She only let go as the waitress set a basket of tater tots in the middle of the table. King lurched forward and grabbed a plate to dig in. 

Gwen’s gaze went back over to Blake, who chuckled a bit and was just watching King. Discreetly, she let her foot reach over to his leg, which pulled his attention over to her. She mouthed a _thank you_ , to which he nodded and smiled in return. 

“So King, I’d love to hear more about what you’re into,” Blake began the conversation. “Anything specific you want to do this summer?”

“I play football,” he responded. “Maybe we could catch a game?” He looked over to Gwen hopefully as he popped a tater tot into his mouth.

“It’s not quite the season for it, unfortunately,” Blake said. “Usually starts around September.”

“Other _football_ , honey,” Gwen said, picking a tater tot up. “My kid’s English, remember?”

“Oh!” Blake exclaimed, then laughed. “Why then yes, I’m sure we can make it to a game. I’ve got some friends, I’ll ask them about tickets.”

“Cool,” King said, seemingly excited now. 

“Maybe there’s a soccer camp around here we can find for you,” Gwen suggested. “With Blake and I at the studio, and Daisy in dance camp, I don’t want you to be bored. Might be good to get away for just a bit and hang out with kids your own age.”

“Are you sure?” he asked, looking over to Gwen. “If it’s expensive, you don’t have to…”

“Don’t even worry about it, okay?” she nudged him. “Things are a lot different now. I got a promotion, which means more money for me to get to spend on you.”

“I need to go to the bathroom,” he said next. 

“Sure, baby,” Gwen hopped to stand up to let him out of the booth. Her body leaned forward slightly, but a look of confusion soon flashed on her face and she took a seat again. Her eyes watched him as he walked towards the back. “How sad it is that my ten year old is worried about my bank account?”

Blake reached across for her hands, which brought her attention up to him. 

“He loves you,” Blake said. “Don’t think about it like that. I think he’s a really thoughtful kid.”

“He is,” Gwen agreed. They both pulled their hands back when the waitress brought them their plates of food. Gwen took King’s chicken nuggets and set the plate down next to her, and the waitress handed her another that was meant for her. 

“I suck at this,” Gwen said as soon as the waitress left. “I feel like the most awkward person on the planet right now. Like that’s my kid, I know him, and I’ve missed him so much, but it’s also like… _who is that kid_? He’s grown up so much and I don’t even know what to say. I literally just forgot how old he was and I was a heartbeat away from taking him to the bathroom, that’s _embarrassing_. Thank god he didn’t realize it.”

“You’re nervous,” he said, reaching back for one of her hands. He squeezed it, getting her attention to draw to him. “And you’re doing just fine, I promise. Being a mother is as natural to you as breathing is. But that doesn’t mean it won't take a little while to adjust back into it.” He paused. “Think about it like you have this great opportunity to get to know him all over again. That’ll be fun, right?”

“I guess the point was always that it should have never come to that,” she said softly. “Am I doing the right thing by _not_ squeezing him in a hug with all of my strength for the rest of time right now?”

Blake chuckled. “Yes, good call on that one,” he agreed. 

Gwen squeezed Blake’s hand before letting it go as King rejoined them at the table. She slid further into the booth, and moved his plate closer to him.

“Don’t eat that too fast,” she said. “We have to make sure there’s enough room for the brownie sundae at the end.”

“There will _always_ be room for a brownie sundae, mom,” King said matter of factly. 

Gwen smiled, her eyes just watching him. Blake reached for the ketchup in the middle of the table, and caught Gwen’s staring. He shook his head and smiled, keeping to himself.

King looked out of the corner of his eye over at Gwen. “Are you going to eat too?” he asked her, an obvious call out to the fact that she was just looking at him.

“Yeah,” she squeaked out, her eyes going to her plate as she took one of the grilled cheese halves and ate a bite. She couldn’t hold it for long though, and she side glanced back his way a few times. 

“I’m not going anywhere, mom,” he said sweetly, turning to look at her and offer her a grin.

“I’m just checking,” she sighed. “I’m not convinced yet. It doesn’t feel real, and a few side glances at you beats me crying hysterically in the middle of this diner, right?”

“Ugh, yes,” he said. “Please don’t do that.”

“I am holding it all in for you, baby boy,” she nodded affirmatively. “I’ve got this, don’t worry.” She took another bite, and forced her stare at the empty part of the booth in front of her. Her eyes went to Blake, who just started hysterically laughing. 

“ _What_?” She groaned, and she looked over at King who was now also laughing along with him. “I’m so glad you both think his is hilarious. It’s made my day, _really_.” The drip of sarcasm was evident. 

She felt small arms go around her waist, and she almost gasped as she looked down to King hugging her.

“Even though you’re a weirdo, I love you, mom.”

She sighed, her nerves seeming to relax a bit. She glanced over at Blake who just had a content smile on his face. Her arm came around King and she kissed the top of his head.

“Even though I’m a weirdo, thank you for still letting me _be_ your mom.”

———

“I don’t even have the words left to describe this day,” Gwen sighed, walking up to the slightly ajar patio door. She had changed clothes and was wearing lounge shorts and a tank top, her hair loose and over one shoulder. Gwen leaned into the door frame slightly, her eyes fixated on Blake as he was sitting on the plush, outdoor sofa - vanilla amber candles lit, a bottle of red in his hand. 

Blake hummed knowingly in response, twisting the corkscrew into the cork and slowly popping it with ease.

“Is Daisy finally asleep?” he asked, his eyes going to her. She walked up to him and took a seat with him on the couch as he began to pour the wine into two glasses.

“Yeah, she’s good, wore herself out today at camp,” Gwen responded. “King was really tired from the plane and the time change, I set him up in the guest bedroom. He won’t be too far behind.” She smiled gratefully as he handed her a glass of wine. “Thank you.”

“Figured it was a good night to have one,” Blake responded with a smile, picking up his own as his eyes went to hers. He tipped his glass forward, letting it make a delicate _clink_ against Gwen’s glass. “To our family,” he said, before taking a sip. “ _Whoever_ ends up being in it,” he added with a laugh, a nod to the crazy situations they found themselves in.

The gesture warmed her heart. “Our family,” she whispered in an echo, as she soon took a sip of her own. She giggled at his joke. 

“You feelin’ alright?” he asked her next. “You didn’t touch much of your dinner.”

“Yeah, fine,” she said meekly, taking another sip. She cast her eyes down for a moment. “Just having a day, I’m really in my head, and the nerves on top of it…”

“It was a pretty jam packed day,” Blake agreed. “Wanna talk about it?”

She sighed. “Retirement sucks,” she said with a shake of her head. “My jeans aren’t fitting. I’m losing muscle. I shouldn’t be surprised, I’ve been on a strict diet forever, and I haven’t eaten like a normal person in years.” She paused. “This sounds so stupid up against everything else, I swear. But yeah, it’s bothering me some.”

“I think you’re the most beautiful and perfect woman in the entire world,” Blake said. “You _should_ enjoy yourself some. You were a professional athlete, it’s gonna be a bit different now. And to top it off, you’re still recovering from an injury...”

“Yeah,” she agreed. “You’re right.”

He pecked a kiss on her cheek, which caused her to smile.

“Give it some time, you’re adjusting to a lot right now. Last thing you need is to put more stress on yourself.”

“Thanks for the reminder,” she responded genuinely, reaching her hand out to squeeze his. She took another sip, and set her glass on the table. “I almost forgot, hold on,” she jumped up suddenly, jogging into the house. She was so fast, he didn’t even have time to respond, so he just watched her with great interest as she disappeared for a few moments. When she came back outside, she was holding something that looked like a large picture frame - about 16 x 20 - wrapped in brown paper. She walked forward and handed it to him, and curled back up on the couch, her head leaning against him.

“What’s this?” he eyed her curiously with a grin.

She just shrugged and pretended not to know. “I guess you’ll just have to open it,” she responded.

He watched her as he tore one of the corners open, but he stopped as she suddenly stopped his hand. Her eyes went up to him. “If you think it’s lame, just don’t tell me,” she laughed. 

He leaned over, placing a delicate kiss on her lips. “It’s not lame, not at all.”

“You don’t even know what it is yet!”

He laughed as her hand retracted and he continued to peel the paper off from around the frame. When he revealed what was behind the frame, he stopped and stared. Her arms snaked up around one of his, as she tentatively watched his reaction.

On the left side of the frame was a picture of Blake and Marianne together from when he was younger, late teens is what Gwen had guessed. Adjacent to the picture was the letter Marianne wrote to him. The right side was similar - though it was a picture of Gwen and Marianne together in their full ballet clothes, her letter adjacent to the picture. 

“If you don’t completely hate it, I thought maybe we should hang them up somewhere,” she said quietly, as her eyes rested on the frame. 

Blake exhaled, and turned to look at her. “This…” he began, having to pause a moment. “This is incredible, Gwen. I think this is the best thing we have to hang up.”

Her finger delicately touched Marianne in the picture closest to her. “She really knew something we didn’t, didn’t she?” 

“Well, I’m really glad we managed to figure it out.” He smiled sadly, and placed the frame off to the side, propped up by the side table.

“Speaking of figuring things out,” Gwen segued smoothly. “Are you going to tell me what’s going on, now?” She reached for her wine glass and then settled back onto the couch, bringing her feet up onto it. “I’m grateful, more than you could ever know, but I still don’t believe this is real. And I just don’t understand…well, any of this. How did you even get King here?”

His arm stretched lazily around her, across the back of the couch. “So do ya _promise_ not to get upset with me?” he grinned.

She let out a laugh, but then looked at him incredulously. “I don’t know how to respond to that…”

He chose his words carefully before beginning. 

“Any time you’ve opened up to me,” he started, his voice a bit quieter. “…I’ve never taken it for granted. And whether it was when you and I were just starting to get to know each other, or this morning, I feel like I’ve committed every word you say to memory unconsciously.” He exhaled. “So when you started to tell me about King - all of the crap Gavin put you through, all of the stuff he did - it would just anger me. I kept it to myself because you didn’t need to deal with it, I’m sure the rage burns much hotter for you because it’s all just so shitty.” 

Gwen was listening intently as she sipped on her wine, silently willing him to continue.

“I hired a private investigator a few months back and didn’t tell you,” he admitted. “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to potentially put you through any more disappointment if nothing would come of it. But as horrible as some of these things have been lately that have happened - the attacks, the stuff from the gala, Gavin ruining the engagement party - in a strange way, it’s actually helped the case.”

“What case?” she pressed. 

“The case I’ve been building to help you get full custody of King.”

She was frozen, staring at him in those moments. “That…that isn’t even…poss..” she stopped herself, clearing her throat and shaking her head, composing herself. “When did it start?” she managed eventually.

“Do you remember the day in the studio when I went to kiss you for the first time?”

“Of course I do,” she responded. She almost cringed, realizing she was still mentally beating herself up over that one. 

“And then you came into my office that night with some alcohol already in you, and it was the first unfiltered conversation we had. We weren’t holding back or pretending. It was real,” he said, then paused. “I made the call the next morning, and he’s been working on it ever since. I told him to look into the fabricated evidence, your record, the files, he even had someone watching him daily after that, seeing what he was up to.”

She swallowed. “And…?”

Blake reached behind him, holding out a beige folder to her.

“ _And_ …they’ve opened an investigation into the custody arrangement when they found evidence that you have never had a drug problem or mental health issues, and those were reported incorrectly,” he explained. She tentatively took the folder after setting her glass down, but didn’t open it. “They’ve cleared your record, that envelope has the proof of it.”

She pulled the papers out and looked at them cautiously, almost as if she thought one might jump out and bite her. It felt almost difficult at first to look through it, but once she realized the entire thing was benign, she visibly relaxed. 

He reached forward, gently lifting her chin so that they made eye contact.

“Are you ready to fight?” he asked, looking dead on into her eyes. 

She was speechless as the silence filled the air between them. He chose to continue.

“Because when you consider he’s personally under investigation for tampering with the original custody case, he recently was thrown in jail after breaking court orders and destroying property, on top of the lawsuits pending for both his contract and for intentionally harming Mirabelle and ending her career…” he paused. “…and even more, my PI has already found evidence that directly connects him to what happened the night you were taken to the hospital…I don’t really care about how much money this guy has, Gwen, he can’t get himself out of this one.”

Her hands began to tremble as she looked back and forth between him and the papers. Her mouth was slightly open, trying to find the words, any words, but for the longest time, none seemed to come to her. 

“I am so overwhelmed right now, I — “ she inhaled sharply as his hands came over hers. She sniffled as she lost her train of thought. “That judge hates me though, this is not a slam dunk. And…and I could only ever go through with this if it’s what King wants…”

“New case, new judge,” he responded. “You are now the director and owner of a large company - you have a higher salary, and you are in an amazing place to provide a loving home and life for King. You are engaged to someone who loves you and fully supports everything you do. Someone who not only wants to make this a family, but someone who would already literally do anything for both kids in this house right now.” He exhaled. “Don’t you see? Everything is coming together. And I haven’t even mentioned all the dirt my PI was able to find on him that will only be icing on the cake.” Another pause. “You had to take him on by yourself last time. That’s not the case anymore. And I _highly_ doubt that living with Gavin is the choice King would make. No matter how awkward you are at diners.”

Gwen couldn’t help but let out a chuckle at his attempted joke. She shook her head before responding. “Why did you think I would be upset with you?” her voice cracked. “You’re fixing everything I’ve tried for months to make better.” She exhaled, her hands now in his. “How did you get King here?”

“Pulled a few strings, convinced the right people that you were treated unfairly - that you were owed time with him. And more than just a weekend.”

“How did I not see any of this?” she questioned herself. “You were working on this master plan right under my nose this entire time?”

“The _only_ reason I didn’t fill you in is because I couldn’t bear it if this went a different way and it only ended up hurting you more,” he emphasized. “It was not meant to undermine your independence or decision making ability. I hope you can understand why I did this the way I did. I just really wanted to do something nice for you.”

“Nice,” she repeated, then sighed. “ _Nice_ is a bouquet of flowers before a date. _Nice_ is letting me have the last bite of chocolate cake.” She paused. “This is so much more than _nice_ , Blake.”

Not even a moment later, she straddled his lap and her arms were around his neck tightly in a hug. He quickly set his wine down, which allowed both of his arms to go fully around her. 

“I’m just trying not to cry,” she whispered, closing her eyes. 

“You’re allowed to,” he responded. “As long as it’s the good kind. If it’s the bad kind, you’ll need to tell me why it’s the bad kind.”

"Of course it's the good kind," she breathed, and held onto him a bit longer before sitting back on his lap so she could look at his face. Their eyes met and she offered a smile through moisture filled eyes, her hands drawing up to rest on his cheeks. She sat like that for a few moments, enjoying the silence.

“Saying _thank you_ sounds so trite right now,” she exhaled. “How are you this amazing? All of this is so much, and it doesn’t even include everything with Daisy and foster care and social services we just started. I’m like,” she scoffed and laughed, “I’m terrified because everything is going so well. And I’m worried for your mental health because you signed up for all of this _willingly_.”

“Life isn’t about everything being easy,” he responded knowingly, his own hand coming to one of her cheeks. “It’s about finally finding what you want, and what’s meant to be, and going it after fully - and unapologetically.”

She sighed, offering him a smile before she leaned forward and kissed him. “God,” she breathed, shifting her body to come beside him instead, but keeping her legs lengthened across his lap. She fit perfectly tucked under his arm, and she naturally let her head rest against him. “I can’t believe all of this is really happening right now.”

“And there’s more,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “Unrelated to the kids, but still more.”

“Oh?” her eyes went up to him. “I don’t know if I can handle more right now?”

“It’s not bad,” he promised. “But, the ultimate decision is something that you and I need to be on the same page about.”

“Okay,” she said softly. “Tell me, then.”

“I still get calls periodically from my old record label…” he began, glancing down at her to see if she had any initial reaction to that. “Over the years, it’s been under the guise of checking in to see if I’ve changed my mind and want to come back, which hasn’t been the case.” He paused. “When I was in Nashville, I agreed to drinks. They sold me pretty hard. They caught wind of some of the stuff I’d been working on for fun lately. They want me to come back, make a few more records.”

“Wow,” she breathed, her eyes now locked on his. “Are you able — I mean, is that something you want?”

“I don’t know what it is, but it felt different this time,” he said. “I walked away when I was at one of the lowest places in my life. And now that I’m higher than I’ve ever been, it doesn’t feel as bad as it used to.” He paused. “I love music, I love making it, I didn’t want to walk away. But this is a really big decision, and I can’t make it without you.”

Her heart was beaming with adoration for this man - _Christ_ , she still didn’t think she could ever get used to it. 

“What all does it entail?” she questioned next. 

“The label is headquartered in L.A., so that’s not a problem. I don’t have to do this in Nashville,” he responded. “It will take some time to ramp up, get a team together, get writing on some songs. The only thing I feel bad about is how much it will have an impact on the rest of our life, our company. Our relationship.”

“Blake, I’m not going to keep you from this,” she began softly. “You love music, and they’re begging for you back. If you’re ready to say yes…we’re going to make it work.” She thought a moment. “We can hire more help for the company, it will just take a little restructuring. I can take on a more flexible schedule and role for the kids.”

“I don’t want to ask you to step back or give up your work at the studio,” he said honestly. “This is a huge thing, a huge lifestyle change. We don’t need all of the answers figured out tonight. But I didn’t want to take another meeting until we discussed this and decided if we should move forward.”

“You’re not asking me to give anything up,” she said. “A few less hours running the studio? Okay, but look at what I’m gaining in its place. I get to support you in something I think you really want to do, and I have two kids I get to be a mother to - at least for now, though I hope for longer than that.”

“What an album will lead to is a tour,” he explained. “Are you prepared for that? I mean, that life — and yeah, I can work around with some of the timing and breaks to make it fit better, but it will still upend our lives.”

“What’s that thing you always tell me?” she asked him questioningly. “Oh yeah, _we’ll figure it out_ …”

He chuckled, and shook his head. “I felt like that would come and bite me in the ass someday.” 

“Well, we _will_ ,” she emphasized. “Besides, I can always visit, too. It might be fun to fuck on a tour bus.” He caught her devilish smile right before she kissed him deeply.

He chuckled as their kiss broke gently. “I’m glad you’re already thinking about that?”

“Mmm…I’m secretly always thinking about sex with you,” she admitted, before kissing him again. “Take the second meeting, Blakey. I’m so proud of you.”

“I’m proud of you, too,” he affirmed, tugging her closer into a hug. 

“Hey, so, back to King for a minute,” she said, shifting the conversation. “I know all of this stuff is happening, and I know he’s scheduled to go back at the end of the summer…”

Blake grumbled. “I’m hoping to get a few strings pulled so that doesn’t happen,” Blake said, before adding on. “I mean, if King wants to stay, of course.”

“Well, if he does have to go back to England…can we move the wedding up so he can be there with us?” She asked hopefully. “I didn’t even think in a million years he’d be able to come when we said October…”

“Of course we can,” he said, then laughed a bit. “I’ll make sure to tell my mom the next time I talk to her.”

“Mmm…she already knows it might be earlier, actually,” Gwen admitted, and Blake shot her a questioning look. “What? We text now.”

“Oh great,” he joked. “Exactly what I need, my wife and my mother plotting together over text messages…”

Gwen hummed. “Say that again, please?”

“ _Oh great_ …” he joked.

“The other part,” she whispered, a shy smile coming to her face. 

“My wife,” he said with a grin. “Mrs. Blake Shelton, the lady of the house, queen of my heart, Gwen Renee Shelton — err, Stefani Shelton? Or Stefani only? Whatever you wanna do with that, it’s up to you.”

“I’m taking your name,” she confirmed softly. “It’s the only one that ever felt like family.”

“I like the sound of that,” he said. “A lot. It’s perfect.”

She laughed suddenly, and shook her head.

“What?” He asked. 

“Do you realize how crazy we are?” she asked. “A custody battle with my horrible ex. Another custody battle of sorts with the State of California. A wedding. A new record and tour…”

“A lot to look forward to,” he said with a nod.

“That’s a heck of a spin,” she giggled. 

“Not really,” he responded. “Two custody battles with hopefully happy endings that will solidify our family. A wedding that signifies our commitment and start of our life together. And a new adventure for all of us juggling a record and tour with a vodka company and ballet studio.” He chuckled. “You’d be so bored otherwise, sweetheart. We’re going to have such a full life surrounded by love.”

“I need coffee thinking about it,” she giggled. 

“Mmm…that’s an idea,” he said. “Maybe we should buy a coffee company too…”

“You’re insane!” she gasped and laughed. “Really, I think vodka, ballet, and music is more than enough.”

“You’re more than enough,” he said seriously. “You, King, and Daisy. The rest is just icing on the cake.”

Her arms tightened around him again as she cuddled up to him. Her response was soft.

“Best damn cake I’ve ever had.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I can't handle that this is coming to an end! Just one more chapter... *sigh*


	40. Bitter Sweet Symphony

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Letting go of this one is breaking my heart, more so than any others

__

_Ten Years Later_

_Los Angeles Performing Arts Center_

__

\------------------------------------------

“I think I’m gonna be sick.”

Gwen reached her hand back to clutch onto Blake’s wrist behind her, as her eyes were glued to the stage in front of her. Various ballerinas in their mid to late teens were stretching, twirling, and leaping in front of them as they warmed up - the two of them observing from backstage. Gwen’s eyes were only focused on one in particular.

“I should have never let you come back here,” Blake chuckled, shaking his head. 

Gwen shot him a look. “That wouldn’t have lasted long,” she warned. She quickly lost interest in the jest, her head whipping back to the one and only person her attention could possibly fixate on in those moments. Her hand tightened on Blake a few moments later, and it was all too much to bear and she quickly turned her head into Blake’s chest.

“I can’t watch her _fouetee_ combination,” she said, shaking her head, knowing it was coming up soon. She whined not even a moment later when she couldn’t see anything. She looked up to Blake. “Can you please just tell me when it’s over…and…and if she gets her back leg high enough, and please tell me she doesn’t drop onto demi pointe again before she finishes…and that her foot is turned out properly on her _passe_ and her heel doesn’t dig into her standing leg…”

“Sweetheart, you have taught me so much about ballet - and I am grateful for that, I really am. It’s because of you I know the difference between my _passe_ and _developpe_ …but I have _zero_ chance of being able to keep up with all of that to report on it accurately, unless you just want me to lie to ya…” Blake said honestly, with a small chuckle.

Gwen sighed, a look of helplessness on her face. 

“Thank you for making sure you were back for this,” she said genuinely. “I know it’s not easy to swing a trip back home in the middle of a national tour. But I needed you here so bad today. And she does, too.”

“I’d do absolutely anything for my family,” he responded genuinely. “And you.” He paused. “Speking of tours...they miss you, you know,” he added knowingly.

Gwen didn’t understand at first and just shot him a look. “Wait, what? Blake, I only ever sang on two of your songs with you,” she laughed. “Stubbornly, I might remind you. They’re not there for me. They buy tickets to your sold out shows to see you.”

“Try tellin’ that to them when I have to deliver the unfortunate news that you aren’t there to make a surprise appearance,” He chuckled, and sighed. He bent down and kissed Gwen slowly. “Besides, you were always kind of a terrible stage mom. What Daisy probably needs most is for me to just stand in between the two of you…”

“Dad!” an excited and familiar voice interrupted them, prancing over and running right into Blake’s arms. “I’m so happy you made it!”

Gwen stepped back and watched a sixteen year old Daisy embrace Blake fully, despite being so much shorter than the cowboy. It was moments like those that she had to consciously work to not let her thoughts carry away, as it was too easy to tear up over the sight of them together.

“Anything for my girl,” Blake replied, unexpectedly picking the her up and twirling her around. He knew that had always caused her to laugh, and he felt that maybe he could help in relieving some of the pressure she was under. He set her down gently, aware that his only daughter was already laced up in her pointe shoes. He looked down at her, then over to Gwen. “Is she behaving?” Blake asked Daisy tentatively.

“Please, tranquilize her before she dies of a panic attack,” Daisy rolled her eyes.

“That is not fair!” Gwen gasped. “Why does everyone think I’m such a horrible stage mom? There are moms that literally hover over their daughters when they’re warming up and screaming corrections at them. And I am standing right here with your father, and haven’t even mentioned that you keep dropping your back leg too early on your turns. And your sprain! You just got back after an injury and you need to be careful…”

“Ugh, mom!” Daisy groaned. 

“Easssssy tiger,” Blake’s arms went around Gwen, pulling her back and away from the disgruntled teenager. He tucked Gwen under one arm, and did the same with Daisy, but under the other. “This is a beautiful day for the Shelton family and everyone is going to take a deep breath and we are going to have a lovely time here at Daisy’s audition. Capeesh?”

Both Gwen and Daisy reluctantly mumbled a _capeesh_ of their own in response.

“Wonderful. Now Daisy my love, please go finish your warm up as this is essential before you kick all of these other ballet dancers asses. And I will stay here, and consider alternatives to tranquilizing your mother.”

Daisy sighed, quickly pressing up on her toes and hugging her father briefly as a thank you, before she went back to warming up.

Gwen huffed, not speaking up again until Daisy was out of earshot. “When did it happen that all of a sudden she started to like you better?”

“She liked me better the moment you introduced her to me,” he shot back and laughed as soon as he caught her reaction. “Ahhh Gwen, come on now. You’re her mother, and she’s a teenager. Your relationship is just complicated right now.”

“Complicated?” she scoffed. “I still can’t believe she’s going through with this audition. She has two parents that love her and own a pretty damn amazing ballet company, one that’s known all over the world and was literally built of her mother’s blood, sweat, and tears, and yet here we are at an audition for _Juilliard’s_ summer program.” 

Blake hummed. “Did you ever think that’s exactly _why_ she wanted to audition for another program?”

Gwen was silent for a moment, not wanting to really ask the next question. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that her parents own the only prestigious dance program she has ever known,” Blake explained. “Her mother - _though a perfect, beautiful, flawless, amazing, top tier prima ballerina in her prime_ \- has been one of the only teachers she has ever known. Daisy is sixteen. I think she wants a chance to see what else is out there.”

Gwen bit her lip. “Did she tell you that?”

“In her own way, she did.” He paused. “Look, I know you’re still adjusting to King moving out to his own place, and maybe it feels like Daisy is slipping out of your arms, too. But these are our kids, Gwen. They’re going to grow up whether or not we want them to, and go off and live their own lives. They’re going to make mistakes. But I promise, they will still call us when they need help fixing them, and they will still come home for family dinners when we ask them to. Because we raised them right, and we love them unconditionally - and they know that.”

Gwen exhaled. “Apollo is never allowed to get older,” she declared. 

She couldn’t help it - the next moment she saw Daisy out of the corner of her eye as she did another run through of her audition piece. “Fuck, is this what it was like for you when you had to watch me dance after an injury?”

His arms went around her from behind as he chuckled. “Yes,” he replied simply, and definitively. He tugged her back into a tight hug. His lips kissed her neck before hovering at her ear. His words were low, sultry, and only made for her to hear. “You know… _if_ you behave, I’ll take you over my knee later and help you forget about all of this.”

Gwen audibly gasped and whipped her head to the side to look at him. “You’re crazy,” she said through gritted teeth - she was hot over the prospect, it had been a while since they had really had the chance to play. “We have a full house of kids tonight. _Kingston_ is home.”

Blake chuckled, shaking his head. “You’re still traumatized from when he walked in on us that one time,” he said knowingly. “Babe, that was what, seven years ago?”

“It doesn’t matter!” she shot back quietly, but fiercely, but unable to contain the small laugh that she was trying to hold in. “He almost called the cops on you that night…”

“Aww, sweetheart, I really don’t think it would have gone that far…”

“He walked in on his mother getting spanked over his father’s knee,” her cheeks still reddened from embarrassment as she recalled the situation and she shuddered visibly. “That must have been _traumatizing_ for him. He thought you were hurting me, and then you wouldn’t even let me go _talk_ to him…”

“…mmm…some things are better man to man, honey, trust me. You did _not_ need to be the one to explain that to him.”

“You still never told me what you told him when that happened,” Gwen’s eyes narrowed in.

“…and there are also some things that you, as his mother, are better off _never_ knowing,” he pecked a kiss on her head as he chuckled. 

“Seriously? I’m not that bad,” she scoffed. “Besides, we’ve always said we would be open and honest with the kids about sex.”

“So that’s the solution then,” he responded. “We gather them together tonight, then _openly_ and _honestly_ tell them that we are going to lock the door and have wild sex and there might be some screaming involved that they can ignore…”

Her response was deadpan. “That’s such a great idea,” she huffed, rolling her eyes. “And then I’m going to get a call from Apollo’s teacher asking if I’m in a domestic abuse situation or a call to inform me that he’s told all of his friends in first grade about this new thing he learned about called _sex_ …”

“You worry so much,” he chimed in nonchalantly. “Besides, your oldest is in college now, and I promise you that he is probably doing twice as much as we _ever_ — “

“ — okay, _okay_ ,” Gwen cut him off as she whined. “I am bad. You can stop right there and never tell me. I’ll never bring it up again.”

Blake chuckled, squeezing her tight. “Good girl.”

Gwen sighed. “How is it that it’s been ten years and those two stupid words still have the same _freaking_ effect on me…”

“It’s probably the way I say them to you,” Blake said. “It’s anticipation. Because you know they are usually accompanied by some form of teasing…”

Their conversation was abruptly brought to a halt as Daisy came running up quickly to Gwen. 

“I don’t know what happened, I didn’t mean it,” she said quickly, panicking and showing her nerves for the first time that day as she seemed to be breathing harder. Daisy held out two bobby pins to Gwen with a shaky hand. “My hair, the back, it’s all messed up, I can’t fix it.”

Blake easily let Gwen out of his grasp as she took the pins from her daughter. Her hands went to rest on both of Daisy’s cheeks.

“Breathe, sweetheart,” she said, her eyes focused and keeping her gaze. Daisy nodded and forced herself to take a breath, visibly holding herself back from crying, and keeping her eyes fixated on Gwen. “Come on, what kind of performance would this be if you didn’t mess up your hair right before going on stage? It’s tradition,” she said, trying to lighten the mood. “You’ll have to list that on your audition card so the casting directors know what they’re getting themselves into. Come on, sit sit.” 

Daisy immediately sank into the nearby chair, allowing Gwen to work her magic again with her hair. 

A few moments later, she spoke up once she felt her daughter was slightly calmer. “Why didn’t you tell me you were so nervous?” Gwen asked, handing the brush over Daisy’s shoulder for her to hold for a minute. 

“I didn’t want to be,” she admitted. “And I didn’t know I was until I started to freak out. And…” She paused. “I know you don’t want to be here because you would rather me stay at Abbotsleigh this summer.”

Gwen sighed, feeling crummy and defeated. 

“Of course I want you to stay at Abbotsleigh this summer,” she began. “Because you’re my daughter and I love you more than I can even put into words, not because I think this is a bad idea.” She paused. “And you’ve done this combination a thousand times at the studio,” Gwen continued. “You know your body, and those steps are muscle memory to you. You have no reason to be scared or nervous.”

“But you just said you were worried about my sprain,” Daisy sucked in. Gwen secured the final bobby pin into Daisy’s bun and sighed again. She moved around and went to her knees in front of her daughter. She took her hands into hers and held them. 

“I am always going to be worried about you, sprain or not,” she breathed. “I am secretly terrified every single day that something might happen. Because I’m your mom, and I just want to protect you from everything.” She exhaled. “You’re a beautiful dancer, Daisy, but what it took me too long to hear from someone was that the dancer you are is only second to the amazing _person_ you are. You are so giving, and determined, and an amazing friend. At the end of the day, I promise all of that is more important than whether or not those stuffy judges out there offer you a spot for next summer.” She paused. “You are amazing. And I have no idea how that happened, really, because I’ve been in charge of raising you for the last ten years and I really don’t think that could’ve been me,” she laughed softly. “So all you need to do right now is go finish stretching at the barre. Go throw a few _fouetee_ combinations behind the stage if you think it will build your confidence. Your father and I will be in the audience with your brothers. And when they call your number, you’re going to do your best - and it’s going to be amazing, because it can’t _not_ be.”

Daisy exhaled after hanging on to every word of Gwen’s pep talk. “I love you, mom.”

The biggest smile came to Gwen’s face immediately. “I love you too, tiny,” she said softly. “Come on now, go finish stretching. They’re going to kick us out of here soon anyways.” She paused. “And you will always, no matter what, have a home at Abbotsleigh.” Gwen leaned up and pecked a kiss on Daisy’s cheek, and the teenager’s arms went around her and hugged her tightly before listening to Gwen’s instructions, making her way back to the barre.

Gwen stood up fully, swiping under her eye as she watched her daughter walk away. Blake walked up beside her, his arms coming around her again. 

“See? All that worrying for nothing,” he nudged at her. 

Gwen looked up at him incredulously.

“Oh, you thought all of that was over?” she asked seriously. “Not a chance. I’m still gonna throw up.”

“But you just said…”

“I did my motherly duty to get her onto the stage,” she exhaled. “I meant every single word of what I said, apart from the _I’m okay with all of this_ thing…I mean, I can accept that she wants to go to Juilliard this summer, but watching her dance right now is still sending my anxiety through the roof,” She paused. “Sorry dude, that emotional burden is still on you to deal with me.”

Blake hummed, pulling her closer as he started planting random, quick kisses on her face until he succeeded in making her laugh. “Good thing I have practice in handling you, dear.” He paused. “And might I say, I am very happy we only have one daughter.”

His charms were irresistible and she couldn’t help but laugh and roll her eyes. 

“Where are our sons?” she pressed next. 

“King and Apollo are saving our seats in the audience,” Blake responded. Tentatively, he nudged her. “Are you ready to go sit down?”

Her attention immediately went back to Daisy - hand on the barre, marking through her routine one last time. It was the look she knew all too well, her daughter was in her zone, and any further time Gwen spent backstage would just be an added distraction. 

“Yeah,” her response was soft, wistful, even. She sighed, as she turned to walk towards the exit, Blake only a half a step behind her. “To be honest, a tranquilizer for me isn’t the worst idea Daisy’s come up with today.”

“I think we’ll skip that,” Blake responded. “Whether you realize it or not, you will want to be awake for this.”

They headed down the back stairs, and went around the long back stage hallways towards the audience seating.

“Oh, maybe this isn’t the _best_ time to mention this…but it’s probably better you know now before it surprises you…but uh, King brought a guest with him,” Blake said sheepishly.

Gwen stopped abruptly in her tracks. “Excuse me?” Her eyes widened. “Seriously? Now? And today, of all days?”

“Yeaaaahh…I promised him I would let you know before we got to our seats,” he offered her his best grin. “I met her briefly - her name is Gracie. She’s a few years younger than King, and she’s in L.A. for dance, actually, Jonas something, see…you have so much in common, I think you’re going to love her.”

“Jonas,” her mind was trying to place the name. “ _Jacob_ Jonas Company, wait - my son is dating a _modern_ dancer…?!”

He cringed internally, instantly regretting dropping any kind of name. He hardly knew any of the non-ballet local companies, but he was well aware of how much Gwen despised modern dance. 

“I’m sure it will be just fine and you’ll find so much in common,” Blake encouraged her.

Her response was deadpan. “I have nothing in common with a _modern_ dancer.”

Blake moved behind her, gently encouraging her along to continue walking. “Think of it as character growth, dear.” When she shot him a look, his mouth hovered near her ear. “Be nice, baby girl…” he gave her a small pat on her rear which nearly caused her to gasp as she didn’t expect it, and sighed as she moved to continue walking. Soon, they were excusing themselves into the middle of one of the first few rows.  
“I haven’t tranquilized your mother yet, but the option is not off the table,” Blake said sweetly to King, as they approached. King’s attention perked up as Gwen came to sit in the chair next to him. She smiled at Apollo bouncing on King’s lap, but his tiny attention span went elsewhere.

“Daddyyyyyyyyy!” He exclaimed excitedly, ditching King immediately to hop over Gwen in order to get to Blake. 

Gwen sighed, sitting back in the chair, her eyes going to the stage as her hand tightened on the armrest. She didn’t know what she was looking at, the curtain was still down and she couldn’t see anything. A few moments later, she felt King’s hand over hers, which drew her attention to him. 

“She’s going to be okay, mom,” he said genuinely. “Because she has you. You prepared her for this.”

Gwen exhaled, defeated at that point, and just felt like crawling up into a ball and crying. Her arms went around her oldest and she hugged him tightly.

“I needed to hear that so bad,” she said softly. “Thank you, baby.”

King exhaled, working up the courage. “Umm, mom? This is, uh — my girlfriend, Gracie,” he managed. “She’s a dancer too, and when she heard about my sister auditioning she wanted to come along and…I thought maybe it was a good idea for you two to finally meet.”

The tiny, insanely adorable blonde girl with bright blue eyes that reminded her of Blake’s shyly poked her head to the side of Kingston’s, coming into view for the first time. As soon as Gwen’s eyes caught onto Gracie’s, there was something about them that changed instantly. The nervous and timid eyes that were meeting her boyfriend’s mom for the first time soon turned emotional and familiar.

“Miss Gwen?” Gracie whispered suddenly, and almost at a whisper in fear that she might have been mistaken. 

Hearing her name in that way and out of context nearly punched her in the gut. Her brain was searching a million miles a minute, trying to figure out why this girl felt so familiar.

“Oh wow, it is you,” Gracie exhaled softly as she realized it was actually who she thought, her eyes going to King. “You never told me your mother was Gwen Stefani. I thought your last name was Shelton…?”

“It is,” King responded, though admittedly, he was confused. “Blake is my stepdad, he adopted me and I took his last name.” He paused. “How do you know my mom?”

“You probably don’t remember me,” Gracie exhaled as she directed the words to Gwen, feeling herself starting to get a bit teary. “But if you did, you probably would know me as Gracie Washington.”

The name could have stabbed her in the heart as she recognized it immediately. The tears of all the events that day were almost nothing in comparison to the ones she felt forming now.

“ _Of course_ I remember you, sweetheart,” Gwen said, taking in a breath as she stood up. Gracie stood at the same time, and the two of them hugged one another tightly. 

King shot a questioning look over to Blake, both of them clueless about the exchange. 

“Where did you go all those years ago?” Gwen said, pulling back and resting her hand on Gracie’s face. “You just never came back to class, I was so worried about you. I tried to find you to make sure you were okay but I couldn’t. Nobody knew where you went.” She exhaled. 

“Social services moved me,” she explained sadly. “It happened so fast, just in one night, I almost didn’t have time to pack.” Gracie breathed, swiping at her eye. “The foster family I ended up with was all the way down in San Diego. They uhm, they ended up being pretty great though, and they ended up adopting me. I'm Gracie Rogers now, I guess.”

A teary, but genuine smile came to Gwen’s ears once that news reached her. “And you’re back in L.A.”

“Yeah!” she exclaimed with a small laugh. “I never shut up about dance. There wasn’t a classical ballet program near the house, but there was a contemporary studio, so my parents ended up enrolling me there. I kept at it, and I auditioned for _Jacob Jonas_ last Spring, and I started with them a few months ago.”

Gwen looked back to Blake, and then to King next to her. “You can keep this one,” she nodded, placing a hand on King’s cheek. Kingston shot Blake a look as if to say _how did my mother just become better friends with my girlfriend than me in five seconds_ …

“Ms. Gwen?” Gracie said again. Gwen looked back over to the girl. “Ms. Gwen, you did so much for me when I was younger, you don’t even know how much it all meant,” she said, then paused. “It’s because of you that I’m still a dancer today. I fell in love with dance, and stuck with it, because of you. And I never got to say thank you.”

“Just seeing you so happy…” Gwen exhaled, offering a smile. “Knowing that you grew up so beautifully, that’s all I ever wanted to see, and that’s more than enough.” She swiped under her eyes again. “How the heck did you even meet Kingston, then? My son is not exactly a frequent patron of the finer arts, despite my influence.” Gwen shot him a look playfully, and King shot back his version of Blake’s famous grin. 

“Well my roommate dragged me along to this fraternity party at UCLA…”

“Kingston, you go to fraternity parties?” Gwen’s brow furrowed. 

“ _Mom_ ” he emphasized, with a roll of his eyes. Gracie just laughed, and Blake already had his hand reached out and tugging Gwen to sit back into her seat to ditch the line of questioning.

“Please spare at least one of your kids some embarrassment today, honey,” he mumbled to her. 

Her eyes flashed back at him and she sighed as his arm went around her, tugging her closer to him.

“Are you still going to _make me forget about all of this later_?” she mumbled softly to him.

His lips kissed her neck then hovered at her ear. “You’re going to need a lot of forgetting by the time the day is over.” 

The slight blush of anticipation on her cheeks was difficult to see in the low light, but Blake knew it was there. “How much?” 

“Mmm. Depends how much of a good girl you are the rest of the day,” he replied.

Gwen bit her lip. “We should finally plan that trip to _Amsterdam_ soon,” she emphasized. 

“Please do, you’ve literally been talking about it for years, and you’ve never gone,” King piped up. Gwen’s cheeks flushed pink as she realized she might have said that last part just a little too loud, which caused both of them to start laughing hysterically, trying to keep it down in the semi quiet audience. 

Her slightly relaxed demeanor tensed up again as the soft music indicated they were about to begin. Her eyes flew to the stage, the curtain still unmoved. 

“Look at me right now,” Blake said into her ear. Reluctantly, she tore her eyes away and made eye contact with him. “She learned from the best. She is fully healed. You said it yourself, she has done this piece a million times. Take a deep breath, squeeze my hand if you need to. Baby, she’s got this.”

Gwen forced an exhale and a nod, pecking a kiss on his cheek before taking him up on his offer. She grabbed and held onto his hand, interlacing their fingers. Blake’s soft kiss on her neck calmed her just a bit more, even as the anticipation was rising.

And the curtain rose.

———

The remainder of the day didn’t slow down for anything, or anyone. 

Despite getting through Daisy’s audition in one, non-tranquilized piece, there was still a persistent stress element present. She was relieved as soon as she sank into the passenger’s seat of the car, even though there was a cranky and hungry little boy and a sullen teenager in the back seat. King pulled out behind them with Gracie, following back to the house.

As soon as Blake pulled into the driveway and everyone started hopping out to go inside, Gwen made sure to pipe up over all the rest of the noise.

“Dad’s going to start cooking in ten minutes, don’t disappear for too long!” She called after all of the kids as soon as they shot off ahead of her to go to their rooms. She couldn’t help but chuckle, roll her eyes and sigh as she walked into the house, and a few steps over into the empty kitchen. Blake came up behind her and surprised her as his arms went around her, and he kissed her neck.

“Don’t you worry about them, they’ll be back. If I know anything about our kids, it’s that they have insatiable appetites,” Blake chuckled, squeezing her into a hug. 

Gwen laughed, turning into his arms, her arms going up and around his neck. “You’re right, you know. Pollo would eat an entire large pizza by himself if we let him right now.” She pressed onto her toes, kissing him sweetly. His arms tightened around her as he returned the kiss. 

“I have an insatiable appetite too, you know,” she whispered softly.

Blake chuckled, kissing her again before they walked forward and into the kitchen. “Trust me, I am quite aware of what I need to do in order to keep your appetite… _satisfied_ …”

She leaned against the kitchen island, tugging him in front of her, letting her hand rest on his hips. She kept her voice low as she went up to his ear, should anyone happen to walk in unexpectedly. “I am so in love with you, Blake Shelton.” She paused, and bit his ear. “Can’t we just sneak off now? I swear sometimes they’d never know we were gone.”

Blake kissed her and laughed. “Remember those very _brief_ times we had when I could just have my way with you on this kitchen counter whenever I wanted?” Blake’s gaze went to the hallway as he felt one of the kids approaching out of the corner of his eye.

Daisy took one look at Blake and Gwen holding each other and rolled her eyes. “Ew,” she said, annoyed, as she hopped up to sit in one of the tall chairs at the large island. Gwen sighed, pressing up to quickly kiss Blake one more time, then releasing him.

"That was a lifetime ago," she whispered to Blake, before her eyes went to Daisy. “You should be grateful you have parents that love each other as much as your father and I do,” she said pointedly, opening the fridge with a shake of her head. Blake walked off to the other side of the kitchen, grabbing a few frying pans. 

“You can keep it to yourself, though,” she said blankly. 

“One day, my tiny little dancer, you’re going to be so in love with someone and you’ll never want to stop kissing them, and I can’t wait to be there to remind you of this moment,” Gwen said, coming behind her and giving her a big hug, which made her daughter laugh.

“I doubt that! Boys are terrible!”

Gwen laughed and shook her head. "Just never date a male dancer, mmkay?"

She then grabbed a bunch of ingredients from the fridge and set them up on the counter space as Apollo came running into the room like a tornado, with King and Gracie not too far behind. 

“Alright, most of you know how this goes!” Blake announced as he tied his apron on tight. Gwen laughed, always finding it how entertaining it was for Blake to always make it such a production. “Gracie here is new to our family dinners though, so she gets to go first.”

“First?” Gracie asked with a giggle, looking over at King. 

“My beautiful wife Gwen has set up all of the ingredients on the right side of the counter,” Blake said, proudly gesturing to them. “I can put as many or as little as you’d like in your omelette of choice - made to order to your specifications.”

“Omelettes for dinner? That’s so fun,” Gracie said with a laugh, moving to the other side of the counter. 

“It’s a Shelton family tradition that Blake takes _way_ too seriously sometimes,” Gwen said with a grin, sneaking a glance over to Blake and they briefly caught each others gaze. “King makes the hash browns though, he started making them better than Blake a few years ago…”

“Hey! Who do you think taught him how to do that in the first place?” Blake feigned offense. 

“Message received,” King said as he hopped up, making a bee line for the freezer to retrieve the hash browns to start helping with dinner. 

“Can I do anything?” Gracie offered sweetly.

“No, sweet girl, you’re our guest,” Gwen said proudly with a smile. “All we want you to do is come on down and let Blake know what you’d like on your omelette. Can I get you something to drink?”

“Water is just fine,” she nodded. “Thank you, Ms. Gwen.”

Gwen had to hold herself back from hugging her tightly again just over hearing that name. She contained herself, and offered a genuine smile instead. 

Dinner ended up being loud and crazy, just as they had come to expect it over the years with a full house. Gwen was soon cutting up the homemade brownies - one of Dot’s recipes - and serving a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top as she handed out each bowl. Soon they were outside and under the stars, the movie on the projector captivating their interests as they began to wind down from the day. 

Always the caretaker, Gwen collected the ice cream bowls and made her way back inside to handle the dishes and clean up. Sooner rather than later, she heard Blake’s footsteps approach and she turned to see him holding a fast asleep Apollo in his arms.

“He went out quick,” Blake whispered. Gwen smiled down at her youngest, gently kissing the top of his head.

“Precious baby boy,” she whispered, and smiled up to Blake. Apollo moved and stirred for a moment, and Gwen stepped back for Blake to continue his journey in tucking him into bed.

Gwen continued with the kitchen, and just as she was drying her last dish, the other three came inside - Daisy looking as if she had already fallen asleep and had been woken up. 

“Goodnight mom,” she said groggily, as her feet began to carry her off to her room down the opposite hall. 

“Goodnight sweetheart, you were amazing today,” she said genuinely. Daisy offered a small, faint smile as a thank you as she continued on her way. Her attention turned to King. “And you, sir,” she said, which got his attention. “Please be extra careful driving Gracie home, okay? And text when you’re back at your apartment?”

“You got it,” King said, his arms coming around Gwen in a hug. She squeezed him tightly, and pecked a kiss on his cheek. “Love you mom.”

“I love you too,” she said softly. She released their embrace, her attention going to Gracie. She sighed and smiled. “Sweet girl, I’m so happy I got to see you again,” she said, now hugging the tiny blonde. “You are welcome here anytime, got it?”

“Thank you so much for everything,” Gracie responded, hugging her back. “I’ll definitely come back, I promise.”

Gwen pulled back and smiled at both of them, then exhaled as they walked towards the door. Blake emerged from Apollo’s room just in time to catch them and exchange hugs and goodbyes at the door before locking up behind them. Blake crossed the kitchen, making his way over to Gwen who was slightly turned away from him. His arms came around her from behind, and his eyes fixated on what hers were caught on in those moments. It was their framed letters from Marianne hanging up on the wall.

“I can’t believe how much has happened since then,” she said softly. “I’m still shocked sometimes - like it all came true. It all worked out so perfectly, just like you said it would that night.” She turned slightly to look up at him suddenly. “Did you believe it? Back then?”

Blake hummed as he smoothed a few blonde locks back and out of her face. “I knew our life together would end up being amazing,” Blake nodded. “I can’t say for sure what I fully believed would end up coming true back then, but I knew I’d be standing here ten years later to talk to you about it.”

Her arms were up around his neck as she kissed him suddenly, not holding herself back anymore. Blake’s back gently leaned into the hallway door frame, his hands caressing up and down her back. Their kissing intensified, as her hands gripped onto him harder. His lips were on her neck soon, and she let out a soft moan.

“I think I might still owe you some moderately kinky sex tonight if you’re still up for It,” his words were hot and seductive in her ear before they continued kissing her neck.

She let her hand gently caress down his chest, her eyes meeting his as she tilted her head.

“Yes, _please_ ,” she emphasized, and moved forward to kiss him again. “I’ve only been waiting for this all day, you know.”

Blake chuckled, and kissed her again. His hands were on her hips and soon lifted her up, and he turned to change positions so that her back was now against the wall, her legs clutching tight around his midsection. He held her up with one arm as he teasingly undid the buttons down the front of her shirt, his eyes watching hers as he did so. He moved forward again, taking her lips with his, trailing out kisses down her neck so that he could whisper in her ear again. 

“Come on baby, you know how this goes,” he cooed, and nibbled at her ear playfully. “What’s your safe word, baby?”

“Barcelona?” She giggled, and cocked her head slightly. His attention went up to her and was confused, but couldn’t help but laugh a little. 

“I don’t think that’s it,” Blake played along. 

“Paris?” She giggled again, this time a bit louder as his kisses were tickling her neck.

“Alright, I see,” Blake said with a nod. “That’s fine. We’ll just stay out here all night, clothes fully on, no fun to be had…”

Gwen grinned, and moved forward, hovering her lips right at his.

“ _Amsterdam_ ,” she breathed seductively, yet sweetly, before she took his lips with hers.

She squealed suddenly as he hoisted her up, carrying her back to their bedroom.

“My _favorite_ city.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there it is.
> 
> I want to take a moment and thank every single person who read and commented and encouraged me to keep going on this one. It's hard to believe I've been writing this non-stop for three months - it's been my entire social life in quarantine! It was so fun for me to grow and evolve this story from a pile of notes I started a few years ago.
> 
> I hope you feel that I did justice by these characters and this world, and would welcome any final thoughts or feedback now that we're at the end <3
> 
> (One last plug - hit me up on twitter too! @xoelectric - ok, love you guys)


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